Mar 31, 2008

Declarations of IndependentsBy Susan CornellConntact.com

From great to slow to very, very bad, independent retailers provide varying reports of their environments. Regardless of whether they are “giddy” or painting a picture of “gloom and doom,” local retailers all finding that a bottomless well of creativity and continuous niche readjustments are imperative to survival.

Kristin Mastromarino, co-owner of the Organized Lifestyle Store in Guilford, has seen more and more retail businesses in Guilford going out of business. Her store is still in the growth stage. Still, she says, foot traffic has its slow days.

At this time last year the Organized Lifestyle Store had its highest grossing month. “We’ll see if we can match it, but I’m not sure that we will,” says Mastromarino. In any event, she is busy ramping up the marketing efforts and looking for more creative ways to connect with customers.

“One of the things I think makes my business successful is that I have a service component so I don’t have to rely just on retail to be successful,” she explains. “I still get steady customers by offering services through my retail store.” Mastromarino tells fellow retailers that offering services is “part of the magic equation because if you don’t have something else to offer, you lose your ability to have passive income when times are tough.”

As a professional organizer, she teaches skills to businesses and individuals as well as offers classes and events. In addition to providing a service, she sells actual products – shelf storage, bathroom storage, closet systems, etc.

“That’s why the business model works so well for me,” Mastromarino says. “If I do a speaking engagement, I bring products and can sell products there. If I go to the client’s home, I can sell products by recommending what would be best for them. That’s more channels of operation and we also offer home parties where we’ll go in and do a workshop in the home and sell products there.”

Operating that way, Mastromarino believes, affords her a competitive edge over retailers on the Guilford Green who just offer what they sell and might have services but not many other channels to sell.

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