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NEWCO
Decorating With a Flair
Vital Statistics
Company name: Cornucopia
Address: 11 South Main Street. Cheshire (203-272-9775)
No. locations: 1
Founded: February 1999
Startup Costs: $50,000
Revenues current year: $10,000 average per month
Principals: Rosanne & Holly Harte
No. employees: 9
Product line: Retail sales of wallpaper and decorating accessories
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Business New Haven
10/18/1999
By: BNH
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Rosanne Hart is an interior designer licensed by the state of Connecticut. She studied at the New York City School of Design, so it seems only logical that she would become involved with the decorating business. But the road she would end up traveling wasn't always that well defined. Harte has a degree in elementary education and taught in Cheshire.
With a longtime interest in interior design, Harte decided to give up teaching and approached the R.W. Hine Co. in Cheshire, a hardware store. She proposed that they add a wallpaper department that she would run for them. They accepted. But after 18 years with the store, she decided it was time to move on. "I wanted to do something more creative than was possible in the hardware-store environment. I wanted an atmosphere that I could build myself with more ambiance, more elegance.
Buying out the wallpaper department, she opened Cornucopia with her daughter-in-law, Holly. Finding a location for the business wasn't easy, Cheshire has one main road, Route 10, and very little land zoned for business. The location the Hartes finally settled on, adjacent to the town green near Cheshire Academy, was chosen by a process of elimination.
The store features wallpaper and accessories including original art and limited editions, frames, candlesticks, area rugs, lamps, handcrafted pieces and children's items such as unusual toy boxes.
Successful partnerships define the discrete responsibilities of the partners before problems arise. Holly handles more of the business end, handling and balancing the register but she also has an interest in interior design and, according to her mother-in-law, "has a natural or flair for the more creative end of the business.
"One of the first problems we faced was getting my customers to follow me to a new location," says the elder Harte. I did get help from R.W. Hines, which posted a sign in their store sending customers to us. The other problem in every new business is building a new market. We advertised in local papers, joined Welcome Wagon giving us a listing every month to new homebuyers, and joined the chamber.
"I have another business related to this - an interior design service I own with my sister, Fran Poder - so I'm able to get referrals from that company. We also use direct mail to contact customers.
"One of the biggest problems in a new business is that it usually takes a lot more money than anticipated to get it going," Harte explains. "I'm still putting money in and we are not taking a salary. People have to be prepared to put everything back into the business for at least a year. Lack of funds causes a lot of business to go under before they have a chance to get started."
Of identifying a marketing approach, Harte says: "Finding a unique approach is important. We started by trying to make the store visually appealing and comfortable, serving coffee and making people feel at home. Because many of our clients have children that they must bring with them when shopping, we provide a children's corner with a television, chalkboard, videos and other entertainment to keep children occupied while their parents shop.
"I'm optimistic about the future, the response so far indicates that we will build and grow. Also, Cheshire is growing, a very upscale residential community with people who care a lot about their environment and want advice and local resources rather that traveling out of town."
New Haven's Best Pizza in…Branford?
The 1999 "Pizza Across America" contest has awarded first place in the "Winged Pizza Category" to the Thai chicken pizza conjured by Darrell and Bernadette Janis of Born in America Restaurant & Pizza Kitchen in Branford. Sponsored by Pizza Today magazine and the Wisconsin Nilk Marketing Board, the "Pizza Across America" contest attracts entries from across the globe. Back in our little corner of the universe, the Janises say they've been making the Thai chicken pie for about a year, and it has generated "an incredible response at the restaurant," according to Darrell Janis, for its combination of spicy peanut sauce, diced fresh chicken and cilantro, producing a "yin-and-yang" effect on the palate.
In Hamden, a Brace of New Retailers
HAMDEN - Fashion Works and the Salon are recent additions to the town's retail businesses. Owned by Alma Michaud and Carol Thomas, Fashion Works features hair accessories and scarves. Connected to Fashion Works is the Salon, also owned by Michaud. An educator for John Paul Mitchell Systems, Michaud stresses that the Salon "is not a beauty parlor. We're a place where people can come and relax in a pleasant environment. I don't just do hair, I teach clients to do their own hair." Fashion Works and the Salon are located at 4133 Whitney Avenue.
One of Nation's Best for Working Mothers
NEW HAVEN - Working Mother magazine has named the Saint Raphael Healthcare System one of the nation's "100 Best Companies for Working Women." The Hospital of Saint Raphael is the only Connecticut hospital included in the magazine's 14th annual survey. The hospital was recognized for its on-site child care, generous family-leave policy for new and adoptive parents, competitive salaries and benefits, career training and development opportunities and other available support for working mothers such as a lactation program, opportunities for part-time and flexible working hours.
Clinton Chamber Presents Coast Guard Band
CLINTON - The Clinton Chamber of Commerce will present the U.S. Coast Guard Band at a free concert on November 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Morgan School's William Gagnon Auditorium on Route 81 in Clinton. For tickets, send a self-addressed stamped envelopment to the Clinton Chamber, 50 East Main Street, P.O. Box 334, Clinton 06413. Maximum number of tickets per request is four. For particulars, call 203-669-3889.
Teikyo Post Expands Online Degree Programs
WATERBURY - Teikyo Post University has added several online degree programs. Students are now able to complete all courses leading to an A.S., B.S. in management, B.S. in integrated business with a concentration in law office management, management, marketing or management information systems. The online courses were added to accommodate adult students whose work or travel schedules don't permit them to attend classroom courses.
Milford Chamber Celebrates
MILFORD - The Milford Chamber of Commerce with Shop-Rite of Milford and Advanced Placement Inc. present a Halloween Costume Parade & Pumpkin Carving Contest. The parade will take place on October 23. Participants are to meet at the Rotary Pavilion, behind the library, at 5:30 p.m. The parade will cross the Hotchkiss Bridge and proceed to Milford Landing. Rain date for the parade is October 24. Decorated pumpkins can be registered between 3-5 p.m. at Milford Landing. Refreshments and music will be available from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A pumpkin auction will begin at 7 p.m. For details call the Milford chamber at 203-878-0681.
The Game of Hamden
HAMDEN - The Hamden Chamber of Commerce has devised an unusual approach for its fundraising campaign. The "Game of Hamden" features local businesses and some notable landmarks. Played like "that other popular board game," players roll the dice and buy various properties when landing on the space. The game contains 40 advertising spaces. In addition, the first 300 people to order the game will have their names included in a list of patrons on the board and the game cover. According to the chamber, the game board has proved to be a big hit with businesses wishing to advertise and the general public who are awaiting the unveiling of the game, which will retail for $20.
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