Village Squire, 1978-11, Page 23merchandise trom the wholesalers. It's a tiring, time consuming
business the couple admits but it's one of the ways to cut costs
and get better service at the same time. Shipping costs for bulk
products such as they sell take a huge bite out of the profit of the
items so George spends many Wednesdays travelling to Toronto
with their van to pick up orders, making the rounds from on
wholesaler to another. Their sources of supply are so diversified
that often he can't make all the calls in one day.
In all the couple deals with 56 different companies to supply
the wide variety of products in their shop. Some of these don't
have much and orders will be small but some of the larger
companies have orders that must be sent in weekly because of
the volume of business in their products.
The Severns join the treck to Toronto each spring and fall to
take in the gift shows and see what is being offered. They also
took in a similar show in Orlando Florida by mixing business with
pleasure. While the majority of the items in the shop come from
larger manufacturers there are also many from small
craftspersons and some of these are among the most popular
items offered. The Severns like to tell the success stories of some
of these.
There is for instance the man who started out in his basement
making solid pine board picture frames then graduated to a store
and finally to space in an industrial mall where there are now 10
to 12 employees still hand making the frames. Then there's the
husband and wife team who began making wooden fixtures and
today have five employees.
Quebec seems to be a hotbed for hand -crafts, the Severns say.
There is a company that distributes hand woven napkins which
arc manufactured by local weavers in their homes. But there are
products from areas closer to home in the shop too such as
v.00dv:ork from Wolfgang Woodcraft in Harriston.
The couple tries to stock as much Canadian goods as possible
although there are some imported items such as English
crockery and bread boards.
Modernizing
your kitchen?
check the
quality of these
all -wood cabinets by Belvedere
BELVEDERE KITCHEN CABINETS
Put on a happy face and install these handsome,
beautifully matched cabinets. All units have the
easy to clean surfaces and they carry the
Belvedere mark of craftmanship.
Ball -Macaulay
Clinton
40 Wellington
482-3405
i(omec'are
BUILDING CENTRE
Hensall
151 Richmond St. S.
262-2418
Seaforth
112 High St.
527-0910
NOW OPEN
Festival
Square
Enjoy browsing
through our
interesting shops
and restaurants.
Festival Square
offers gifts. jewellery
and ladies' wear ...
a book store. antiques,
children's wear ...
This unique
group of Victorian buildings
offers a warmth of personality
that is unmatched.
Come and visit us soon,
delight in our hospitality.
Explore Festival Square
City Centre — Stratford
November 1978 The Village Squire 21