The Story...
The first week I was in business, I had
customers from 12 different states and three foreign countries. It grew
so much and so fast that I moved three times in that little complex over
11 years because I kept outgrowing the space.
I have to give credit and sincere thanks to the late "Aunt Sue" Susan
and Lloyd Ritter for giving me the opportunity when I first started my
business. They believed in me when I didn't have much retail experience
and very little money. In fact, the day I opened the doors I had less
than a $100 left to my name and it was all in the cash register to make
change. I was a broke, divorced mom, calligrapher/poet, and professional
volunteer in 4-H, school, church......certainly not an
entrepreneur..........yet! (smile)
I learned a lot of valuable business information from Susan and Lloyd
and Susan's best friend, Gail and all of the other experienced shop
owners there. Even though I did not truly realize it at the time, I was
fortunate enough to be on the cutting edge of a real craft industry
trend that was not a FAD!
I was also fortunate to have both of my daughters, Angie and Carree,
helping me. I could not have done it without all of their sacrifices and
support. There were many people who helped me to succeed over the years
and I would surely forget someone if I ever tried to list them all but
suffice it to say ....Thank YOU ALL! Over the years I had several
employees and many of them are still close friends but, I also had one
very special and outstanding employee for seven years and I can honestly
say that she learned her job very well.
Audrey Ortino was one of my first employees and became such a model
employee and friend that I am actually very proud to hear all the
wonderful comments about her and her rubber stamping business. She
opened the Stamp House at Aunt Sues after I left there. I have always
believed that you can teach people the job and the techniques but you
can't train people to be nice...it is far better to hire nice people.
Audrey was and is a nice person. I am a little upset with her husband
...Mike, though. You see he introduced my sister to one of his Bell
South co workers and they have been happily married ever since ... but
he never once got me a date! I hope he reads this...there is still time,
Mike! LOL (5/06 Update - See Newlyweds)
Since the Aunt Sue's complex was seasonal and so far away from
"civilization" I realized the need for me to be open year round and have
room for classes too. So, I had to make a tough decision to leave my
friends at Aunt Sue's and eventually moved 25 miles to a growing little
community called "Powdersville" into a 3800 Sq foot store.
I went from Pumpkintown to Powdersville, and to top it off I was born in
NYC. Hmm, I think I'm going in the right direction!
Actually, if you look on the map you may not see Powdersville...it's a
nickname for this community, our official address is Piedmont SC. But,
this community is probably at least 5000 times bigger than Pumpkintown
because it is on a 4 lane HWY only 1 mile from I-85 at Exit 40. The
growth here has all happened since I first located here in 1996. Much of
the growth has been in the two years while I was away. More about that
in a minute. So once again, miracle of miracles, I happened to be in the
right place at the right time.
I sold my former retail rubber stamping and calligraphy business in June
of 2000. (My old store was formerly known as Calligraphy House.) Both
of my daughters were working for me at the time. Carree wanted to go
back to school to become a nurse. She graduated in December of 2002 and
is now working in the ER at Greenville Memorial Hospital and part time
in the ER at Baptist Medical Center, Easley. My oldest
daughter, Angie had gotten married the year before and wanted to start a
family...and sooo, I felt like it was time for me to take it a little
easier and sell out since neither one of them wanted to take it over...at the time.... (smile). I sold the business in June of 2000 and
Angie got pregnant the next month and a few months later found out they
were expecting TWINS!
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(L to R) Cullen - Eleanor (aka "Granelle")
- Pace |
She ended up being on strict bed rest for three
months and they (Cullen & Pace) came a month early. I hate to even
think about what it would have been like to have had the shop during
that time.
Anyway...fast forward to May, 2003 ...the new owners suddenly closed the
store one day. To make a really long story short, because I had financed
it, I got it back in June of 2003, renamed it and revived it with the
help of many relatives, customers, friends and former employees who took
off from work to come and help me get it ready to go again. We have a
new phone number and new web site. My oldest daughter Angie and our
talented demo artist, Susan Coster and a few of my talented and creative
staff were able to come back and we reconnected with our old customer
base and concentrated on introducing new customers to the wonderful
world of paper crafting.
Thanks to the Internet it has been easy to pick up right where we left
off. Word that we were back has spread like wildfire and it has been a
heartwarming and sometimes overwhelming experience to be welcomed back
with OPEN ARMS and countless hugs. All of that and to get hundreds of
cyber hugs and messages, too! I am truly blessed!
JANUARY 2006 continuation and update....
Due to some serious parking issues in our store on Hwy
153, we had to move to a bigger parking lot and in the process we were
actually able to double our space. It is even easier to get here now. We
are only a couple of minutes from the old store. We are located at I-85
and River Road at EXIT 39. With the help of many customers and friends
we managed to move and stay open at the same time and got settled into
our new place in record time. It is truly amazing to have all of this
new space to work in. You will be welcomed warmly when you visit our store. We
hope you will plan a visit soon, it is truly worth the drive. Make the
trip soon, you will be glad you did.
Until then, have a stamp happy day!
Eleanor
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