Little Pickle Press: Cornerstone Cottage

Today we welcome Cornerstone Cottage (a dear customer with a funky little shop in downtown Hampton, Iowa) to the Little Pickle Press blog. Say hello to Keri Holmes and Judy Wrolson! They're going to answer our many questions about their store.

Why did you decide to open the store?

Judy: I have always wanted to own a store, ever since I was a kid. My brother and I played ?the Sears Store? and filled out blank order forms for hours with the old catalog Mom would give us when the new one came. It was our favorite pretend on a rainy day. It?s kind of amazing that we?re celebrating our tenth anniversary this year.

What makes the store special?

Judy: We do! From out attitude to the merchandise we carry. If it?s not fun it?s not worth it.

Keri: I have the same answer: We do! You couldn?t find two more real people than Judy and me. We have more fun at Cornerstone Cottage than any other retailer in town. We sell a little bit of every style of home d?cor, and our 1+1+1=1 approach creates something unique for every customer.

In our children?s department we feature ?learning? toys like Green Science kits, archeology kits, and Mensa recommended card games. I owned an independent bookstore, so I love books. I select the books we carry, and can personally recommend each title. That?s why finding Little Pickle Press was so exciting for us. Your books fit our merchandizing strategy perfectly, and I can give them a strong, authentic recommendation.

What is the most challenging part of your job?
Judy: Paperwork and finances.

Keri: Finding products not carried by the other shops in town, and finding new ways to merchandize our existing inventory to increase sell-through.

What is your favorite part of the job/the store?

Judy: Customer interaction and creating, for the customer and the store.?

Keri: I agree with Judy on this one, too. I look forward to helping our customers find the perfect gift or to create the perfect decorating item. I also design my own line of Completely Custom Invitations for weddings, showers, graduation, etc. I really love sitting down with a bride, getting a feel for her style and the things she likes, then creating wedding stationery that?s truly ?her.?

What do you do to keep up with the industry?

Judy: I read blogs, trade magazines, and keep in touch with other retailers.

Keri: Judy is being modest. We don?t just try to ?keep up?. We try to lead. This is why we recently attended the 140 Character Conference in Des Moines ? to learn from others how they?re using social media to build relationships with their customers. We presented a short discussion on Thinking Big, Starting Small, and shared with the group our slow and steady progress toward full implementation of ?now? technology.?

Since we're discussing unstructured play on the blog this month:

What is your favorite children's book?

Judy: Dr. Seuss? The Cat in the Hat and The Foot Book.

Keri: Too many books, not enough time? but one of my favorites is Agate: What Good is a Moose? by Joy Morgan Dey & Nikki Johnson. Amazing watercolor illustrations, and an important message about being yourself and feeling good about that.

What is your favorite children's game?

Judy: Skunk ? a dice game we used to play with Grandma.

Keri: For playing with young children, I love the Ravensburger game The Amazing Labyrinth. For the whole family a card game called The Great Dalmuti. Unfortunately Wizard of the Coast let it go out of print, so when we wear out a deck, we have to buy a replacement on eBay.

What was your favorite outdoor game when you were a child?

Judy: Hide & Seek at dusk in the cool grass.
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Keri: I can?t remember the name of it, but we used to play it with our cousins. You?d lob a ball over the roof of a shed or some other one-story building. If someone on the other side caught it, they ran around to your side and tried to tag someone on your team.

How do you stay young-at-heart?

Judy: By constantly learning; being creative and playing ? every day.

Keri: It?s true that the environment at Cornerstone Cottage is fun and playful. We had a Mad Hatter?s Tea Party when Alice in Wonderland came to town. I was the Mad Hatter. When we got sound-making animal masks in stock last fall, Judy ran around with the leopard one all the time and roared for every customer who came in the store. This is who we are. But I also try to follow my Aunt LaVena?s advice and continue to make new young friends. The last time I visited her she told me, ?I got a new address book. Everyone in the old one was dead.? I think that says it all.

What do you think, readers? Any comments? We would like to add a couple of links so you can follow these fun ladies.

Source: http://littlepicklepress.blogspot.com/2011/05/cornerstone-cottage.html

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