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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1991-08-28, Page 5_jrjr_p.5 YOUR 1311Sfl\IFS1S =,me,Advccat..August ,,.,s9, Page Melba Tuckers a down-home, casual store By Ray Lewis EXETER - With the recession seemingly bottomed out, econo- mists are predicting a growth in new business. The newest addition to Exeter's downtown core is Mel- ba Tuckers, a specialty store with a focus on casual wear. The store opened just last week, and is owned by Lisa Tuckey. "I thought that Exeter needed something like this," said Tuckey. "People don't like to have to shop at just one store, and this helps to slake shopping a little more round- ed." Tuckey is plann.,lg a grand open- ing in the next few weeks, but her excitement caused her to open the doors early. "I was getting kind of anxious to get going before school started," said Tuckey. "And I was tired of coming here every day and looking at the 'coming soon' sign." The idea of such a store has bounced around in Tuckey's mind for quite a while. Following high school, she attended Conestoga College for three years, enrolling in Design, Graphics and Advertis- ing. She worked in various adver- tising positions in London and Ex- eter, before finally attempting it. "I wanted a comfortable, down- home atmosphere," said Tuckey. "And 1 wanted it to be identifiably Melba Tuckers." Tuckey began searching for a name and a theme. She wanted something catchy, but middle-of- the-road so that it would appeal to all ages and both sexes. Melba, is actually Melba Shep- pard. Tuckey came across a por- rrome-town atmosphere - That's what Melba Tuckers is all about. lore, owner Lisa Tuckey stands amidst some of the new lines of clothing her new store has to offer. Small business aid LONDON - The Federal Busi- ness Development Bank is helping small business owners gain a com- petitive advantage through Strate- gic Planning. Strategic Plans help entrepreneurs evaluate their com- petitive situation and determine the resources needed to achieve full growth potential. In this process, an FBDB Strate- gic Planner works with the business owner and his or her senior man- agement team to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the op- eration, as well as the opportunities and threats it faces. Once these have been established, the informa- tion is used to develop an imple- mentation plan. This assigns specif- ic responsibilities and deadlines that will assist the business in creat- ing and exploiting a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Developing the strategic plan is a three-phase process. The Diagnos- tic Phase examines the opportuni- ties and risks facing the business; the position and potential of the business in its industry; customers, competitors and markets for its products; and the personal and business objectives of its owner/ operators. The Strategy phase de- velops a clear, simple and flexible strategic plan which will define: the direction of the business based on opportunities, threats, strengths, weaknesses and values; short, inter- mediate and possible long-term ob- jectives; and guidelines for devel- oping a lasting, competitive foothold in the marketplace. The Action Plan phase is designed to turn the ambitions of the business's owner/operators into concrete achievements by determining: what is to be done, who is responsible and when are the deadlines. "During this current recession, it is even more important that a small business have a sound strate- gic plan in place. Firms with high- ly developed business plans not only have higher survival rates, but will be better able to gain com- pctitive advantage in the market- place," says John Parnell, Strate- gic Planning Manager, London. Businesses interested in learning more about Strategic Planning and how it can benefit their business are asked to call John Parnell at 434-2144. The Federal Business Develop- ment Bank is a Crown Corpora- tion that promotes the creation and development of businesses in Can- ada. It pays particular attention to small and medium-sized business- es. The Bank provides term loans and guarantees, venture capital, and a broad range of management training, counselling and planning services. 4 trait of her, and asked her permis- sion to use it as her theme. Sheppard agreed, and from then on it was a question of how to trans- form the building into the store Tuckey envisioned. Husband Peter proved a great asset. Using old lumber from a restored barn, he managed all of the wood- work, shelving and change rooms, to give the store the rustic atmos- phere Tuckey was looking for. "It really took a lot of help," said Tuckey. "Especially from Pete whose work made it look the way I wanted." Tuckey has done all of the de- signs, signs and graphics for shirts, and plans on developing a complete line of Melba Tuckers apparel. The focus for right now is on ladies wear, but by Christmas she will have much more Non Fiction and Marci Lipman, for both men and women. "I would really like to start into men's clothing," said Tuckey. "But it will take a while to get estab- lished with what I want for the girls first." Currently, Melba Tuckers carries lines such as Hollywood, Cotton Pickers, Cream, Southern Comfort and Alabama Cotton, with Melba's name on Non Fiction. Tuckey said that she's really happy with the lines she has, and that she owes much of the credit to Bonnie Bayn- ham, who offered many ideas. The store also allows her a type of showroom for many of her pet projects. In the past she has done a lot of work for hockey and baseball teams, designing ads and logos, and plans to continue with more sweats and t -shirts. The store also con- tains wooden country folk art, hand crafted by Pete and Lisa. The for- mer handles the woodwork while the latter is adept at painting. In addition, Tuckey hopes to re- produce some of the black and white prints of Melba which she will make available for sale, and even has Melba dolls. "It's something a little different, and helps to make the store morel unique, said Tuckey. With the economy seemingly on the slow mend, manufacturers from i whom she orders seem very opti- mistic. So far, the general reaction from the public has been great, and Tuckey's only thoughts of expan- sion right now, are in the lines which she carries. Most of the ad-; OVER $6O,00() IN YOUR IZIZSI' AND WORRIED? To transfer your RRSP or RRIF call Mark J. McElwain Account Representative Metropolitan Life 147 Main Street South, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S1 (519) 235-1344 Metropolitan Life sold its first policy in Canada in 1872. 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