Oct 26, 2007

New gift shop tests the waters downtownBy Aleasha SandleyJournalReview.com

While some downtown Crawfordsville storefronts remain empty from businesses moving out, one new business is taking its chances downtown, staying open later to accommodate more customers.

Cortney’s Cottage, 108 S. Green St., is a gift shop that focuses primarily on children’s gadgets and activities. It opened Oct. 19 and has been staying open until 10 p.m. in hopes of attracting more customers who are coming downtown to eat or go to a dance class or other activities, owner Phil Garrett said.

So far, the later hours have paid off, with most of the store’s traffic coming between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., Garrett said.

“People work past 5 (p.m.),” Garrett said. “I want to make it as easy for people to shop here as possible.”

Although he has an associate’s degree in liberal arts, bachelors in counseling psychology and is working on a masters in organizational leadership, owning a business has been a dream of Garrett’s since he was a child.

“My first lemonade stand was a real success,” he joked.Garrett wanted to open his shop downtown because of the abundance of empty storefronts and his desire to help out ailing downtown commerce, he said.

“At the same time I could realize my aspirations in business, I could contribute to downtown progress,” Garrett said.

The store, named after Garrett’s wife, Cortney, who also works there, is different from other downtown Crawfordsville gift shops because it offers unique children’s toys and men’s gifts, Garrett said.One of the most popular items is Shining Stars, stuffed animals that come with access to a Web site where children can play with their animals in virtual worlds. Many people also buy the Shining Stars because they come with a certificate to name a star on the International Star Registry, Garrett said.

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