With four locations in Northern Virginia, The Dandelion Patch is thriving in a year that has proven difficult for many other retailers. Business is up double digits from 2009 and owner, Heidi Kallett took some time from her busy schedule to share the secrets to her success with Greetings etc. magazine.

 

Started in 1994, The Dandelion Patch is a fine stationery store that offers its customers invitations, stationery and announcements in addition to gifts. The flagship store in Vienna has since expanded to include three additional locations in Reston, Georgetown and Leesburg. 

 

"In October we went from two stores to four and all things considered, we feel good," Kallett admits. "I took advantage of the weak real estate market and I just doubled down and went all in."

 

Kallett reveals that while she is optimistic about the future of the industry she does see the changes that are affecting the marketplace. "The day of the invitation for the backyard barbecue is numbered, if not dead already, so we're changing our strategy," Kallett notes. "As much as I'm disappointed by this -- the day of the thank you note is numbered too -- ¦that's why we really work hard to promote the tradition of handwritten thank yous."

 

 

Kallett explains that The Dandelion Patch is a marketing machine. One of the promotions that the store does is offering discounts to customers who write a thank you note to troops overseas. 

 

With four stores, The Dandelion Patch relies heavily on having good employees. One of the ways Kallett ensures that her workers are committed is by creating a fun culture to work in while encouraging people to work there who want to make a career out of it. "We can train people on the details and the etiquette, but we have to start with a passion," Kallett notes. "We have been fairly lucky. My personal goal and philosophy is that I hope I don't have to ever hire a store manager. I always want to promote from within."

 

Kallett also reveals that her business model has been set up to support offering employees benefits and paid vacation time. "While we're still in retail and no one makes six figure salaries, I understand that my women who are working full time, want and need benefits," Kallett says.

 

Kallett's business savvy doesn't preclude some times that retailing is trial and error. There have been times when she admits bringing in categories that simply didn't sell as well as she'd hoped. "We brought in pet-related items because it looked like a growing industry, but it didn't work well for us," she reveals. "It generally didn't fly off the shelves, so then you wonder 'did I buy enough,' 'did I give it enough time?'"

 

What does do well for The Dandelion Patch is Vera Bradley and Kallett reveals that her stores have about 16 linear feet of Vera Bradley goods in each store. "It will be interesting to see how we are affected now that they are opening Vera Bradley retail stores," Kallett muses.

 

The Dandelion Patch also does well with gifts that are in the $25 range. "We also do well with gifts that are in the $100+ category," Kallett notes. "It's funny, but the $50-$100 niche doesn't do as well, it seems like there is no in-between. People either want to spend $25 or more than $100."

 

For more information, visit www.thedandelionpatch.com.