Jun 14, 2009

Getting down to basics: Small shopsBy Christine PrattWenatcheeWorld.com

Wenatchee, WA — Peggy Nichols’ customers send her flowers.

She got some just last month, after Pickle Papers, her specialty paper and gift shop, won this year’s Wenatchee Downtown Association award for Best Downtown Retail Business of the Year.

The senders live in Seattle, she said, but visit the shop when they’re in town. They wanted to say “congratulations.”

Nichols credits her loyal customers for the success of her business, which she and her daughter, Marnye Woodrum, launched 14 years ago.

“I treat each individual who comes through this door as a special being — a friend,” Nichols said. “I’m humbled they come to my shop, and I’m passionate about The Pickle.”

Many of the region’s small stores and restaurants have braced for the recession by taking extra stock in business basics.

That means taking extra care to control inventory and reduce costs, without sacrificing what most distinguishes them from big-box stores — a thorough knowledge of their customers and how to satisfy them.

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