After 21 years of "solid" profits and plenty of pleased customers, Jean Martin is closing her specialty furniture and home accessory store, Wicker & Willow.
"I'm not closing under duress, which is nice," Martin said. "We've been a very healthy business all along, but we've just plateaued over the last few years. Our sales volume hasn't increased as much as I would have liked."She never quite reached her goal of $1 million in annual sales revenues. "Our figures have stayed solid, but they haven't grown, and I thought that was a good indication of things to come."
In the competitive world of retail sales, plateaus aren't disastrous, but they do take extra efforts to overcome, and Martin admits she has grown a bit tired of this particular venture.
"I didn't know how long I'd go, I thought maybe 20 years -- so I went a year past that point. Retail is tough and I think I've lost some of my enthusiasm for it," she said.
However, Martin isn't planning to sit around. After some time off and a couple of trips, possibly to Europe, she intends to seek another career -- she just hasn't decided which one yet.
Martin and her husband, Bill, own the Wicker & Willow building at 2903 S. Highland Drive, and they intend to lease it some time in August. In the meantime, the store is hosting a sale starting June 8, and Martin will maintain her office there to ensure that customers who have ordered items will get them.
Selling the business just didn't seem like a good idea.
"We looked into it, and it's difficult to get today the price I would want for the store. Someone else might want to come in and do their own thing. I didn't want it to change from what I had worked for for 21 years. I didn't want someone coming in and changing the reputation of the store," Martin said.
The store's original emphasis was on wicker and rattan furniture, but Martin later expanded the inventory to include a "pretty eclectic" selection of household items such as wrought iron beds, upholstery and home accessories.
"Wicker furniture is not as mainstream as other furniture, but in our area, we have our own loyal following," she said. "We tried to show how it blends with existing decor."
Martin also encouraged employees to concentrate on the "total room concept" when helping customers buy something for their homes.
Closing the store is a bittersweet experience. "All the employees are like family, and it's hard to break up your family, but I'm sure they'll all go on to bigger and better careers. I've given them plenty of time (to job hunt), and they're free to look. We've also been spreading the word with our suppliers. With the unemployment rate here as it is, I don't think they'll have a hard time."
She admits to "some sadness" about closing the store, but adds, "it's probably good for me."
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com