Spring 2020

Small but Powerful By Debbie Eisele

Yay! is a small Orlando, Florida boutique offering a range of products all in 250 square feet. Stacy and Jim Coon, owners, opened this quaint shop about a year and a half ago. This tiny shop is located on Swanson’s Ivanhoe Row, a unique area full of retail options, museums and restaurants; it even offers a beautiful view of Lake Ivanhoe.

Stacy spent 15 years as a gift and paper arts buyer for a fine art store prior to owning the business. “It was always fun to dream of having my own space and when the tiny building we had admired for years became available, we jumped at the chance,” said Stacy Coon.

Customers are astounded at the mix when they walk into YAY!. A variety of art, gifts, home décor and stationery has been carefully curated by Coon. The top-sellers include Julie Mollo, Janet Hill Studio, R. Nichols, Macey Mack Design, Naked Bar Soap Co., and more. She even offers some custom pieces from Coast and Cotton and Ingenious. “We hope to expand our custom selections this year,” she said.

The tiny store offers a big “wow” factor, but Coon and her husband do face some challenges. “There is no backstock area so we have carved out a section of our garage and have a storage unit for backstock,” Coon said. “I cannot buy very deep due to the lack of storage but it forces me to keep a close eye on the inventory, which is a good thing. I place orders constantly. Although the space is small, we do have a sizeable inventory.”

The space limitations are a “fun challenge” that Coon takes seriously. She has found a way to efficiently use every spare bit of space, even vertically. “We have a high vaulted ceiling, which makes the space seem larger. We maximize that space by hanging things from the ceiling,” she said. “We have to move things frequently to make space for merchandise. I often joke that we are playing Tetris in the store.”

Coon frequently updates the large bay window of the store with a creative flare customers enjoy. “Grouping by color and themes is visually appealing in our tiny space,” she shared. Coon enjoys sharing information about the artists and “providing a fun, happy place to shop.” The refreshing, unique environment at YAY!, is just that.

>>ALSO SEE: Great Things Come in Small Packages.

Best-Sellers

• Home-décor: They Make Art, Mad•Made Pottery, Macey Mack Designs, Janet Hill Studios, Easy Tiger
• Kitchen items: Creative Co-op/Bloomingville, Devenie Designs, Twine and Creative Brands
• Stationery and/or greeting cards: R. Nichols, Sapling Press, Sugarboo and Co., E. Frances Paper
• Apparel and/or accessories: Julie Mollo, Haute Shore Bags, Mohop
• Candles and/or home fragrances: Himalayan Candles, Paddywax
• Baby and kids: Rookie Humans, Sweet Wink, Bella Tunno, Jellycat, Bla Bla Kids, Gunner and Lux
• Miscellaneous/other: Chronicle Books, Lilliput Little Things, Lettercraft, Fashionit, Glitterville

Debbie Eisele

Debbie Eisele is the former managing editor for Gift Shop Plus, Stationery Trends and a variety of special issue publications, including: The Guide, Holiday Shop, Celebrations & Occasions and Waterfront Living.