Mother Daughter Duos

by Mollie Neal [1]

Advantages

For mother-daughter business owners, running a gift shop together offers many advantages. Each woman gets to work with someone she truly loves and trusts. There's often the added virtue of flexibility they offer each other to meet personal needs, such as a daughter who needs a flexible schedule to care for school-age children, that another partner may be reluctant to accommodate.

According to Jane Hilburt-Davis, a family business consultant and president of Boston-based Key Resources LLC, the key to success for mother-daughter duos is establishing individual roles and responsibilities, outlining goals, keeping family and business issues separate and understanding how to manage conflict, much like any other successful partnership.

Designing Women

When Marisa Kazmerchek's original partner bowed out of Serendipity Design, their custom invitation and stationery business, to spend more time with her family, Kazmerchek decided that she too was ready for change. She closed the tiny, 300-square-foot shop in Oak Creek, WI. Her mom, Angela Blohm, an established real estate consultant with a penchant for people and sales, had always wanted to own a gift shop. So it seemed a natural fit for the two to form a partnership.

Using her real estate prowess, Blohm scouted a location. She was drawn to Greendale, WI, 10 miles outside Milwaukee, because she felt that it was reminiscent of her childhood hometown, a suburb of Venice, Italy. "It's a lovely, small community where people know and care about each other," says Blohm.

The women reopened Serendipity Design in May 2007, in the downtown center, which is lined with shops, craft stores, boutiques, restaurants and cafes. Kazmerchek quickly realized that she'd need to broaden her product line to fill the 1,570-square-foot store and appeal to a broader customer base.

Serendipity Design carries Kazmerchek's custom invitations and stationery, along with her handmade sterling silver necklaces, earrings and bracelets—some of which feature semiprecious stones—along with her original abstract paintings. The store also sells Lampe Berger perfume lamps, candles, paperweights, Italian pottery and handblown glass by local artists.

The women quickly identified their strengths and fell into a natural working relationship. "I originally started the business because I needed a creative outlet," says Kazmerchek. "If you are going to create something it's better to share it, otherwise it's no fun. I am more of an artist and my mom is more of a salesperson. That way we don't step on each other's toes." Besides nurturing Kazmerchek's yen for creativity, the custom invitation service differentiates Serendipity Design from other retailers, and is a real sales boost during typically slow retail periods, such as the weeks between Christmas and Valentine's Day, says Blohm.

Being part of a close-knit community also helps sales. Shop owners aren't cutthroat; they work together to make the town successful, says Blohm. In addition, The Greendale Village Business Association frequently holds holiday and seasonal-themed events and activities. Tourists and town residents come out for chili and pie-baking contests, horse-drawn carriage rides, winter ice sculptures and other homespun activities. The shopping village attracts tour buses in the spring and fall.

Both women call their working relationship an equal partnership, and appreciate each other's unconditional support. Each one works at the shop five of the six days a week that it is open, and they rely on a part-time person on an as-needed basis. Kazmerchek also makes private appointments with customers on evenings and weekends to help with custom wedding and other invitations. They are flexible and accommodating with their schedules, especially when Kazmerchek needs to tend to her school-age children and Blohm has real estate appointments. "We probably wouldn't have that luxury if we weren't family," Blohm says.

Q&A

Advantages of working with each other
Working with her mother, enables Marisa Kazmercheck to change her work schedule as needed to take care of her school-age children. She can also read her quite well and knows when she needs a hand even if she doesn't ask.

Angela Blohm also enjoys the flexibility of their partnership so that she can juggle store hours along with her real estate work. "We are both hard workers, have very similar tastes and are equals," says Blohm.

What are the annoyances?
"There are no drawbacks," says Blohm.

"Sometimes family situations eek into the workplace, but you have to let go," says Kazmercheck.

What does the rest of the family think?
Kazmercheck's husband is supportive of the partnership.

Could this be a multi-generational thing?
Kazmercheck's children are quite young so it's too soon to tell.

The Colorado Connection

The El Rancho Trading Post gift shop is just 20 miles west of Denver, but it might as well be a world apart. The store operates inside a rustic log cabin in Evergreen, CO, which it shares with a tavern and restaurant well-known for its native elk and buffalo selections. The historic, 60-year-old cabin is nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains and overlooks the picturesque Continental Divide.

Cam Goodman always dreamed of working with Native Americans, and daughter Che Rippinger had business experience. When they took over the space in 1986, they originally sold paintings created by Goodman's father-in-law, a well-known Native American artist named Asa Battles. Since then they have expanded their offerings to include a wide array of products that are indigenous to the region.

The 650-square-foot shop may be small, "but it's packed from floor to ceiling," says Goodman. One thing that distinguishes the store from others in the area is that it carries a lot of things that are made locally by a cottage industry of craftspeople and artisans, says Rippinger. These products include walking sticks, natural and organic soaps and lotions, dream catchers and metal sculptures. In addition, the store sells reindeer fur throws from Finland, and Australian sheepskin slippers, along with T-shirts and sweatshirts—a prerequisite for any retailer catering to tourists.

The products that give the mother-daughter team the most satisfaction are those made by local Navajo, Zuni and Hopi Indians. These include unique handcrafted pottery, concha belts and jewelry designs with turquoise, coral and black onyx. "When you go to the reservations, it's still very primitive and traditional," says Goodman, who is always amazed by the quality of the work. It's rewarding for the women to learn about those traditions and pass the stories along to customers who are often equally touched.

"We call ourselves the 'Colorado Connection,' " says Goodman. "We are connected between the Native Americans and the people who come in and shop for their things."

Shoppers include locals and tourists who travel I-70 from Denver to ski resorts such as Vail or Beaver Creek. Many of the products are one-of-a-kind creations, and the duo frequently changes inventory. This helps to maintain the store's appeal, especially among local residents. The women work hard to maintain prices, and tourists often return on their way home after seeing steep price tags at the ski villages and mountain resorts.

Goldman and Rippinger enjoy interacting with visitors, many of whom are second- or third-generation shoppers and foreign tourists. The women credit their success and longevity to their supportive nature, both personally and in business. Both women are good-humored and believe that also helps.

Goodman is primarily responsible for working with the Indians, ordering most products and attending trade shows. Next, she plans to use her love of plants to develop a line of herbal products for the store. Rippinger focuses on marketing and advertising, and maintaining El Rancho's website. She also takes care of buying toys for the store.

"I figure the things I like to play with the kids will, too," Rippinger says.

Q&A

Advantages of working with each other
"Both of us go above and beyond the call of duty to help each other and that's something you can't get by working for somebody else in a corporation," says Che Rippinger.

"I can count on Che to be here, to be the best that she can be and to help travelers. We are a port in the storm," says Cam Goodman. "We pat each other on the back, but there is some sales competition. It's nice to have that support and encouragement."

What is the most funny/memorable moment you remember?
"We laugh on a daily basis with each other and our customers," says Rippinger.

Flourishing Fashionistas

Practically as long as she can remember, Terri Jackson has been a fashionista. She started modeling at age 8 and won best-dressed in high school. She followed her passion as a fashion merchandise major in college, and graduated to working as an assistant manager of a department store.

After her kids got older, it was a natural progression for Jackson to open a fashion and accessory showroom, Just The Thing, in High Point, NC, in 1991. It didn't take long for Jackson's daughter, Tracy Wright, to catch the bug, too. Wright worked part-time at the seasonal store while in college. Jackson then opened a second location, in Columbia, SC, in 2002, after her daughter graduated and moved there with her husband. After great urging from customers, the duo has opened additional stores in Georgia: in Atlanta, in 2003, and in Athens, in 2007. Jackson remains owner of the business and directly oversees the Atlanta shop, while Wright is vice president and works primarily at the Columbia store. They also have about eight part-time employees for each shop, and a full-time manager in Athens. The original store in North Carolina is open only one month a year.

The stores range from 1,400 to 3,000 square feet, and each has its own identity. At the same time, the women have developed a consistent brand image by unifying each store through a playful yet elegant color scheme of black and white stripes, with pink and gold accents for everything from the doorway awnings to the shopping bags. Mother and daughter recently adopted Shih Tzu puppies, and the two dogs are often featured in Just The Thing advertising. One dog greets customers in Columbia, and the other in Atlanta.

Jackson describes the shops as "girly girl stores" with products that appeal to females from "three to 83." The women buy most of their products at Atlanta gift shows, and in New York City. Making bulk purchases for all of the stores gives the women buying power. Many vendors are amenable to splitting shipments, which simplifies product distribution.

They focus their purchases on items that are on trend, which they can sell at affordable prices. In addition to fashion accessories, they carry an assortment of products and gift items, such as beach towels, shower wraps, lamps, pillows, tote bags and picture frames. There is a special case in each store for more expensive designer handbags and jewelry.

Both women agree that one of the keys to success is communication. "We talk at least 10 times each day," says Jackson. "We respect each other's opinions and that's important, or we couldn't do this. We also appreciate each other's moods, and agree to disagree at times." Having a great staff helps too, says Wright. "That makes or breaks a business. You can't do it all and need to rely on people who care about you and your business. We have that good fortune."

Q&A

Advantages of working with each other
"I love being with her and traveling with her," says Tracy Wright. "It's so nice relying on someone who cares about the business as much as you do."

"We can start and end each other's sentences. We respect each other and we are the best of friends," says Terri Jackson.

What are the annoyances?
We could work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we need to remind ourselves to have mother-daughter time, says Wright.

Source URL: http://www.giftshopmag.com/2008/spring/gift_retailers/mother_daughter_gift_shop_owners