|
|
|
Fighting Back
|
Business New Haven
1/7/2002
By: Anne-Marie Brungard
|
A single mother raising two teenagers is a tough job by anyone's standards, but Patrina Reddick, a New Haven resident, faces challenges in her business and personal life too… she just chooses to use them as stepping stones to growth.
For two years, Reddick owned and operated Dollar Heaven at 220 Grand Avenue in the Fair Haven section of New Haven. Her research and feedback from community residents led her to open a retail store with a wide assortment of household, hair, jewelry and beauty items. Most items cost no more than a dollar and Reddick began to develop a steady customer base. Neighborhood children frequented the store for candy and toys, eventually encouraging their parents to visit too. A fair number of business transactions took place with individuals who purchased items in bulk to ship to family and friends in Puerto Rico and other islands; a bonus for Fair Haven's largely Latino community. Reddick shifted her buying strategies to factor in these issues, scouting for bulk sales of popular items.
Reddick didn't count on a high incidence of theft and the need for a loss prevention program, serious staff training issues-or being diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Being in the dollar store retail business is difficult anyway,” says Reddick, “You have to have a high turnover of products, and there isn't much room for profit when your markups are so low...it is definitely a volume business.” In order to find products with the right price margins, Reddick usually buys from vendors in New York City, but there are travel and other shipping expenses associated with making those purchases. And times of slowing sales were further complicated by waning inventory. Reddick had difficulty keeping adequately trained staff in the store, and when people are not paying attention the door is open for increased thefts. “Customer service skills are so important - especially in retail,” said Reddick. It is easy to take for granted that basic skills like arriving for work on time and being prepared to work, negotiation skills and accepting feedback are present in new employees. Reddick did not find this to be the case.
A mother and entrepreneur, Reddick now adds survivor to her list of identities. Her year long battle with breast cancer impacted her ability to focus on the retail operation and provide day-to-day management. Her focus has now shifted to health maintenance and family. Dollar Heaven closed its doors two months ago.
Distressed but not discouraged, Reddick decided to take this opportunity to learn from her situation. “I learned two very valuable things: change is part of life and it can help you grow, and you have to get help when you need it.”
This was a time for re-evaluation. What worked, what didn't, what could be done better the next time. Reddick approached the Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association for support and technical assistance. “It is such a privilege to learn from those with experience,” says Reddick, who re-tooled her business plan and just opened the doors of Anointed Expression at the same location. The new store carries higher end gifts, holiday items and family-priced computer systems and is open seven days a week. Reddick is also pursuing opportunities through Empower New Haven's Customized Training Program to assist in staff development. This should reduce turnover, improve retention and the quality of customer care on the front line. According to Patrina Reddick “The key to surviving is looking up [to God] and getting back up.”
|
Go FirstGo PreviousGo
NextGo LastGo
to Index
|
|
