Business Spotlight: The Country Hearth and Tea Garden Café

Owner: Cindy Ussery-Hood

Founded: 1984

Address: 113 S. Main St., Bolivar, MO 65613

Phone: (417) 326-3568

Web site: www.thecountryhearth.com

E-mail: cindy@thecountryhearth.com

Products: Home décor, personal accessories and gourmet foods.

Café hours: 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday

2006 Revenues: $400,000

Employees: 4 full time, 6 part time

Customers at The Country Hearth and Tea Garden Café in Bolivar will never see a “You break, you buy” sign. That’s because owner Cindy Ussery-Hood wants her store to be a place where people of all ages can feel comfortable and enjoy themselves.

In 1984, Ussery-Hood, then a Hermitage/Fairplay schoolteacher, saw the need for a specialty gift shop in Bolivar following an unsuccessful shopping trip. As the daughter of business owners – her parents owned manufacturing company Woblo Wood Products – she recognized the potential such a store could have and decided to “go out on a limb” and start her own business.

“I always loved little quaint shops that had a lot of ambiance,” Ussery-Hood says. “They made me feel good.”

The Country Hearth began in a small 800-square-foot building, but it quickly outgrew the space, and Ussery-Hood moved into a two-story brownstone on Bolivar’s downtown square. For the past 22 years, the 100-year-old building at 113 S. Main St. has housed the personal accessories, home furnishings and gourmet food shop.

Then came the cooking

Two years after opening, while Ussery-Hood was planning a friend’s birthday lunch, she realized there was no restaurant in town that catered to women celebrating special occasions. Once again, she decided to fill a market need, and in 1986, she established Tea Garden Café.

The restaurant now accounts for the greatest percentage of her total business, and in the gift shop, decorative accessories generate the most revenue. There is also a banquet room with seating for 60.

Bryan Cole began working at the Tea Garden Café five years ago as a prep cook and is now the restaurant manager. He says customers are appreciative of the comfortable dining atmosphere where they can stay as long as they want while enjoying a view of the downtown square and savoring the unique array of quiche, sandwiches and tea.

Before 2001, Ussery-Hood says The Country Hearth had an annual growth rate of 20 percent. Growth has since leveled off, which she feels is due in part to the popularity of online shopping. However, Ussery-Hood does not worry about the future of her business.

“We still need that human element,” she says, “and I think because of that, small stores like (mine) that offer more than just a product will stay in business.”

Ussery-Hood encourages interaction between customer and her 10 employees, and she wants visitors to know they can “talk out loud.”

She also has found that the key to “small-town survival” is offering a number of diverse services. With that in mind several years ago, Ussery-Hood bought into the Merle Norman Cosmetics franchise and runs a store on her building’s ground floor.

Personal touches

Daily samples, music and ever-changing seasonal décor also speak to Ussery-Hood’s effort to make shopping at The Country Hearth a memorable experience.

Ussery-Hood’s personal touch is evident not only at The Country Hearth, but in many customers’ homes. When customers began requesting her decorating advice, she added off-site decorating consultations to the store’s list of services.

Michelle Redd, of Bolivar, says she has shopped at The Country Hearth since it opened. She appreciates the wide variety of products offered, but it is Ussery-Hood’s commitment to customer satisfaction that really leaves an impression.

“I can’t think of anyone else who has offered to come out and look at my décor if I have a question,” says Redd, who was a student of Ussery-Hood’s and now owns Blue Castle of the Ozarks Inc., an operator of group homes for the mentally disabled. “She goes far beyond the call of duty.”

Ussery-Hood says she is grateful that she can play a role in helping others celebrate and create special memories.

“I have looked forward to coming to work every day,” Ussery-Hood says.

Advice to Women Entrepreneurs

Cindy Ussery-Hood’s entrepreneurial experience recently caught the attention of state officials organizing the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, held in Springfield Aug. 27–30. Along with five other businesswomen, she participated in the Women Entrepreneur Panel Discussion.

Ussery-Hood feels she provided the audience with an objective opinion that addressed the highs and lows of business ownership. Above all, she reminded potential entrepreneurs to maintain a balance between their business and home life.

“Don’t forget your own basic needs and your family’s basic needs,” Ussery-Hood says. “Take care of yourself physically, spiritually, emotionally – because I think when you own a business, you can become consumed and you don’t have balance in your life. That’s something that you must not lose track of.”