A Focus on Flexibility By Debbie Eisele

Period Six Studio is a mother-daughter owned business that specializes in local and American-made merchandise. This artisan store began as the result of their shared love for shopping together.

“We’re suckers for color — and colorful expressions — and great stories. We stock what makes us feel,” Kiley Handy, owner of Period Six Studio said. The result of Handy’s efforts is a curated collection of offerings gathered during her and her daughter’s travels. 

With one brick-and-mortar location and two employees, Period Six Studio currently focuses on flexibility. Handy explained that the store was open but with limited capacity.

Lessons learned from the experiences of the 2020 holiday selling season have impacted the owners’ for 2021. “We’ve learned to be flexible this year, both in our buying and selling. We’ve had to tailor our in store availability to fit regulations and keep our family safe. But even with changing hours, our supporters have blown us away with how intentional their shopping is this season,” she detailed. 

Customers paid close attention to what resonated with them and adapted by shopping online and using pickup locations. “It’s humbling to make it on their lists of businesses they want to see make it through this,” Handy said.

Last holiday season, product availability was a challenge, but that didn’t prevent them from selling. Period Six Studio noted that boxed Christmas cards were the most requested inventory during the busy shopping season. “This past holiday season was the first the store didn’t offer bundled gift-giving options,” she shared. Also, Period Six Studio collaborated with other local businesses by offering livestream events, and even launched marketing campaigns that included social media promotions. 

Handy offered some advice to other retailers: “Stay true to your sense of self, and find your people. Be flexible and try to focus your attention on what you can do versus the elements you have no control over.”