Retail entrepreneurs open doors in time to capture holiday spending
Waterloo — The holiday season is celebrated by retailers as the time of year when they go “into the black” and start turning a profit for the year. But the window from mid-November until just after Christmas is also a prime time for startup retailers to set up shop.
After working for thirteen years at the Cedar Bend Humane Society, Carrie Ragsdale wanted a change of pace, so she decided to start a company in Waterloo. Each year she traveled through Indiana near the holiday season and picked up hundreds of dollars worth of hand-dipped candles to give out as presents. Her original business idea was to market those candles in the Cedar Valley.
So Ragsdale decided to open a retail store and finally settled on a storefront on East 4th street in Waterloo. But she had to scramble to get her new business up and running in time to catch the holiday crowd.
Although she had virtually no experience running a business, Ragsdale hit the ground running, and the focus of her new business, Home Comforts, branched out from candles to a variety of products.
“I was surprised by how much attention our children’s toys have received,” said Ragsdale. Home Comforts carries a line of toys by the Melissa & Doug company.
Ragsdale officially opened for business three weeks ago, just a few weeks later than she had hoped. But her large inventory of holiday-related gifts has already struck a chord with customers.
