Owner Closes Berlin Gift Shop, Blames Economy
Christine Sparmer left a job heading an insurance company’s marketing department to open a retail gift store called Wrap It Up! The Gift House in her hometown of Berlin in 2004. After nearly four years of running the shop seven days a week and building a customer base of some 10,000, she decided to close the store and sell the Farmington Avenue building.
Q: Why did you decide to open a gift shop?
A: It was one of my dreams. I was reaching 40 and I thought, it’s time, let’s try it out. I’m really glad I did it, even though we’re closing. I’ve learned a lot. I wish I knew what I know now. You don’t know what you don’t know when you get into business and I would do it very differently if I had to do it over again.
I had to learn the retail industry. Everyone says to me, this must be a fun job, but that’s just a small percentage of it. I like it, but it’s a lot of work. We’re open seven days a week. You never get away from it. I look forward to the day when I can go back to corporate America and be very happy with the security level of that.
