Independent retail stores create local market niches

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Local retailers have found their place among the discount and department store chains that fill Springfield's shopping centers. |ret||ret||tab|

Small-shop owners say unique product lines, personal service and product knowledge are the three main factors for success. Repeat business is a mainstay for small stores, and word-of-mouth and direct-mail advertising are the most popular forms of promotion.|ret||ret||tab|

Charlotte Arand, owner of Charlotte's Cards and Gifts, in the Plaza Shopping Center, said she handles several special product lines, such as Precious Moments, Department 56 Villages, Armani and Yankee Candles. These manufacturers want to keep their products special and only sell to a limited number of merchants within a given ZIP code area. They don't sell to discount stores, Arand said.|ret||ret||tab|

Charlotte's, opened in 1995, offers free gift wrapping and lots of personal service if a customer needs help making a selection, Arand said. She maintains a large inventory of cards and gift items and goes to market three or four times per year to keep abreast of the latest trends.|ret||ret||tab|

Arand said in addition to direct mail, radio advertising has brought new customers through her door.|ret||ret||tab|

Across from the Plaza, Mary II's Antiques and Gifts is nestled in the Plaza Towers strip center, 1909 S. Glenstone. Owner Carolyn Starkey started her shop in Chesterfield Village four years ago and moved to the Glenstone location in June of 1998.|ret||ret||tab|

About 25 percent of Starkey's inventory is antiques, and the rest is a mixture of cards and gifts from markets Starkey visits in New York, Dallas, Kansas City and Michigan.|ret||ret||tab|

Starkey studies trade and specialty magazines before she goes to market to keep up with trends and get a firm idea of what she wants to purchase in advance. Her regular customers rely on her to be up on the latest in the gift lines.|ret||ret||tab|

Starkey and her assistants emphasize personal service, and "Smaller items are just as important as high dollar ones to us," Starkey said.|ret||ret||tab|

In terms of marketing, Starkey said she relies heavily on direct mail and special events. She has two open houses annually, one during the Christmas season and another in the spring.|ret||ret||tab|

Sixty-five years in business in Springfield is a good indicator that the Persian Rug Company, 1309 E. Republic, is doing something right. Owner Voncille Elmer moved the business from South Avenue, downtown, to its current location four years ago.|ret||ret||tab|

Elmer took over management of the business when her father died 21 years ago. She and her daughter, Heather Reynolds, are now partners in the company.|ret||ret||tab|

The established clientele includes the children and grandchildren of customers who first bought rugs from Elmer's father. Much of the trade comes from referrals, and Elmer has sent rugs to people in Florida, California, Texas and Oklahoma.|ret||ret||tab|

Although discount stores may carry machine-made copies of oriental rugs and some department stores may even stock some handmade ones, Persian Rug Company does not try to compete with these retailers, and the bigger stores have not affected sales, Elmer said.|ret||ret||tab|

Chain stores do not have anyone who knows the quality and background of the rugs, Elmer said. "People count on us knowing what we're selling," she added.|ret||ret||tab|

Elmer goes to market regularly, and when she can't get away, she has certain distributors she trusts to deal with on the phone. One special challenge she has faced is gender-oriented. Elmer is a woman dealing with Middle Eastern wholesalers who consider women inferior.|ret||ret||tab|

"I pick and choose who I deal with," she said.|ret||ret||tab|

Elmer markets the business via direct mail, sending out a regular newsletter to customers, along with some radio and newspaper advertising.|ret||ret||tab|

John Haik, owner of Ozark Adventures, said he has faced some challenges as a specialty retailer focused on camping, canoeing and the outdoors. |ret||ret||tab|

With two locations, 1457 S. Glenstone and 1328 E. Republic, Haik said he relies on personal service and name brand recognition to compete with the bigger stores. It is not always easy, he said, with so many copies of popular sports equipment and clothing offered at discount prices.|ret||ret||tab|

Ozark Adventures tries to stay a little ahead of the pack and offer some unique products, but it gets more difficult all the time to stay on top of everything, Haik said.|ret||ret||tab|

Haik said he opened the his south-side store to cater to the growing population in that area, and he carries a line of bike shorts and tops to accommodate patrons of the Springfield Family Y on Republic.|ret||ret||tab|

Since Haik cannot take advantage of quantity discounts like the bigger stores, he said he relies heavily on product knowledge and personal service. He and his staff have cheerfully fitted backpacks for people who bought from other dealers in hopes of developing new customers.|ret||ret||tab|

Haik has registered his company name on the Internet, and he has created a Web page to give him exposure to markets outside of the local area. Haik also uses newspaper and some television advertising to promote his business. |ret||ret||tab|

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