From one retail store owner to another (July will mark my 2 yr anniversary) you meet all kinds especially in retail. My daughter runs our store (candle & gifts, and now getting into some collectibles) as my husband and I keep our existing day jobs.

It is tough and I have heard you have to give a store 3 yrs to really see if it will work. We found two areas of advertisement that got the most responses and found coupons really help. In my area $5 & $10 off a minimum purchase does better than a percentage off. It is all trial and error in the beginning. It burns me when I don't have something someone asks for, but we keep catalogs in the store and special order for our customers.

Good customer service and a smile is the key and you have that down pat. We are very well received by the community as there is no other candle shop around like ours. We blow any Yankee Candle or Wicks n Sticks away.

But you always have one creep customer every now and then. Although we bag with tissue paper and ribbon for items to be given as gifts (free of charge), we got balled out for not having "free" gift cards by one customer. She also said she would not shop in our store again and was going to tell all her friends. Added to our greeting cards, I now offer free gift cards, but I cannot tell you how upsetting that was to us.

Anyway...just keep up what you are doing, it sounds like you are off to a good start. Mr. Silver is right....word of mouth is also the key

~ JoAnn