We are concluding our blog series introducing you to the faces of Checkered Cottage with a special interview with the dream team: Susan, Robyn, and Linda. These amazing ladies share a glimpse into all the magic that goes into this this special store.
Spotlight on Susan, Robyn, and Linda
How it all Started:
Way back in the early 90s (1990s)!!, Robyn
and Linda worked at a little shop in Kirkwood called Stenciled Duck and
Susan was a regular customer. The 3 became friends and in early 1999
when The Duck closed, Susan took the opportunity to reopen her own shop
in
their vacated space with Robyn as manager and Linda as designer.
The Name Game:
What
to call this new little endeavor?? Susan wanted it to have a cozy
feel, so 'cottage' would work and at that time country checkerboard was
all the rage, soooooooooooo Checkered Cottage was born!!!!!
In the Beginning.......
The
main focus of the Cottage in the beginning was wall stencils, and wood
kits along with a few templates, a little card stock and some candles.
My how things have changed!! Stencils and wood have given way to an
extensive hand picked line of paper crafting supplies, a wide selection
of classes taught by the best teachers in town, a beautiful gift line,
and a one of a kind area called ReCreate for resale and purchase of
gently used craft items. Change has been good!!
We Get Inspired by....
Our
customers! We listen a lot to their needs and the
ideas they share with us. Inspiration also comes from attending CHA
for our paper lines and our buying trips to Chicago for our gift line.
Our reps are fantastic as they get the latest and the greatest to us in a
timely fashion.
Our Travels:
Most
memorable was being invited by Lasting Impressions to attend their Top
Brass weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah January 2006. One evening we had
dinner at the top of a ski run via a sleigh ride up to a restaurant
called The Snowed Inn. WOW!!
Craziest by far trip was our CHA adventure out in Anaheim, CA. Attended the
show all day and at night took that rental car out cruising the streets. Oh, the sights we saw - 'nuff said!!
Business and Pleasure:
It's great
that our personalities are alike... but it's really our differences that
keep things fresh and always changing. These differences help us to see things in a
broader view here in the store and on our buying trips. Three good
friends working together for over 13 years continues to be great fun!
Want to read more? Click on the name below to read past interviews:
