Village Squire, 1975-07, Page 15And there are the interesting little wall
plaques crafted with intricate care by a local
12 -year-old. The plaques have proved real
winners in the shop, selling at an amazing
rate. The maker has become a junior tycoon
with the success of her business, yet Sandy
says the care taken in making the plaques
hasn't slackened.
There's a retired school teacher who makes
jewellery and pressed flowers, and the local
wood worker who makes beautiful solid
walnut newspaper racks and other items.
And then there's Sandy's own dried flower
arrangements. She confesses she never took a
course in flower arranging but just sort of
played it by ear. But people seemed to like
what she did and it became a major part of
her business and helped her sustain herself
during the first year. For consignment sale of
others works just aren't very profitable. The
store's markup on the goods just peters away
with the cost of a box to put the good in when
its sold or the other odds and ends that eat
into profits.
There are also some of the more familiar
items of such shops: candles, soaps etc.
which are bought from suppliers. Her first
step when she planned to open the shop was
to visit the gift show in Toronto last year and
order the "nice" products on sale.
She also found a good deal of help from
the other boutique operators in the area.
She's particularly grateful to the efforts of
Tim St. Louis of Raintree Gallery in Clinton
who gave a good deal of encouragement to
her. She says the small shops have got to
co-operate and not worry too much about
competing with one another. If one of the
other shops does something especially well,
she likes to refer people to it.
The move to the new shop was
accomplished with amazing smoothness,
Sandy says. Friends pitched in to help even to
the point of decorating the window for her in a
motif for Listowel's centennial celebratjons.
The shop was closed only one day during the
"move. "Things fit together just as if they had
been planned ahead," she said.
In a way the shop is just a little too
successful these days. Sandy was finding it
hard to get time to make the flower
arrangements that people had ordered from
her. She's solved the problem now, however,
by having someone come into mind the shop
for a couple of hours a day so she can retreat
to a back room and her flower arranging.
It's not hard to see how she wouldn't get
much work done. The shop has become a sort
' of drop. in centre for all those in town with an
interest in arts and crafts. The infectious
warmth of Sandy's personality makes
everyone feel welcome and so they're just
about bound to come back. Whether sales
improve or not, the main street location has
certainly brought a lot more people
through the door.
But people are one of the reasons Sandy
Arlien is in the business. What she's enjoyed
most so far, she says, is meeting people.
When she was in the shop, however, she gets
the opportunity to meet new people and has
broadened her scope meeting people with
varied interests.
And how does it compare with teaching?
Well, she recalls one local business person
ribbing her a little asking how she liked going
home from work at six o'clock for a change.
She said she floored the person by saying it
was great because she could go home at night
and relax and not have to worry about having
to prepare lessons for the next day.
Oh she admits she does worry about things
at the shop at times it's a more relaxed
kind of worry, not the kind of tension she
found in teaching where she had to perform
all the time in front of a group of inquisitve
children. She has not big plans for her shops
but more or less goes one day at a time. She
wants to enjoy herself in her work and even
now, when she'd be on vacation if she were
still teaching, she's glad she made the switch.
"Teaching", she says, "is not what it used to
be."
4.
Woollen
jljoppt
I 1
I 1
Box 129, Bayfield, Ontario
519-565-2775
featuring
For Woollens, Sportswear,
Gifts, and Indian Crafts
See also
JUST PINE
Behind the Woollen Shoppe
Hand -Crafted Pine Furniture
and Antiques
519-565-2775
%hoorea'
The pori al Moores e. ands a worm welcome ,o you the out of
town on and browse around. You'll find we hooe a.
large ,Nen Co.,,.me chon of goolny ,^erchondae
CANADIAN CRAFTS & SOUVENIRS
Quebec Metal Scolptores
Quebec Wood Cor.vps
Black Wolnol Wood Coco gigs
SoPolished tone In
Alarm o, Sculptors,
Luce. Brooches 8 pendants
S'e ang charm, a Spoon
Canadian Corns In torn
Iridian Woll plague, L Now Pop.
pre<e Edward .toed Crofts
5po5n Racks
O,,'s'ond,ng Fiend Crafted Leather Jewellery
Beouulol Colors and e.<mng Defiant
O LrAINM 7e SWAM tem
- A[[t t• SAM r ee•A stem
* HANDBAGS
We Aesop Chu,.,
MY ArMeef+ tttd
r.wr.►.w
lo.unow leathers of Conadlon soft tooth cowhide . - EnglM Morocco -- Deers0,n Mafia,, Tapestries
'0.00.. T..10 5.00,., Also oi.lectmn of auoley .inyh and casual lour,, bogs E.enmg Bog,
* PERSONAL LEATHER GOODS
Wall.., &Ilio d', Credo Cad Co.... Re/cases. Cloth Nunn, &II Clips. portico. Co,... U,I,,y Coss.
Underam Ponfol,os, Jewel Boxes Allan highest poolCondign leathers Gold,ne,all.d Ire.
it LUGGAGE OTHER GIFT SUGGESTIONS
l,ghrweighl 5obsd. Loggage — Canyon
Plane Luggage for lade 8 menlarge
sele<hon of tote bags and trawl acces-
Crystal from Sweden - Onyx from A1..00 Rotten picots --
Umbrallm. Monogramed Rey fobs and Many other gil...0..g
gift arms
-Shop in a /amdv store that offers p.' .opal and JnendI' seri see -
LMAAN t LUMINA MMS
B 'Marfa Ste..t 271•11116
Op. Mil, DU 5:10 .. , {fide, no •
Stratford
VILLAGE SQUIRE/JULY 1975, 13