Counting blessings | A conversation with Diane Vella, co-owner with her husband, Dominic, of Blessings in Brunswick
Photo/Carol Coultas
Diane Vella
Blessings
Founded: August 2009
Employees: 1
Startup costs: $76,000
Projected revenue, year one: $45,000
Projected revenue, year two: $65,000
Contact: 725-5703
11 Mason St., Brunswick
blessingsinbrunswick@yahoo.com
What is Blessings?
A home furnishings, accessories and design shop. The inventory is vintage and new, so there’s not another like it in the area. We locate vintage items like highboys, china hutches, three-mirror vanities, and if they need refinishing, I do that and then they go out on the shop floor. I have a lot of vintage linens. The goal is to have a shop that my kids can walk into and buy things. It’s very eclectic; there are antiques, but I always say there’s no pedigree, just really nice things.
Why did you start the business?
I’ve always been drawn to home furnishings and I found it very difficult to locate affordable and quality merchandise in a vintage venue when shopping in the area. My husband’s and my goal is to provide this type of merchandise at a reasonable price. We also wanted to start a family-owned business that our children may someday want to operate.
How do you market your business?
We have an excellent location in downtown Brunswick with our own parking. We share a corner on Mason Street with other shops that include Wildflours, a gluten-free bakery and grocery; Commnetwork, a computer repair and service business; and Bounce, a hair-styling salon. We direct customers to each others’ shop along with other local merchants in town. By maintaining close ties with our customers, we have developed a word-of-mouth type of advertising. We have satisfied customers that are faithful and resilient. I have about 35 women who come back either once a week or biweekly. It’s really cool.
How do you finance Blessings?
Cash. No loans! We reinvest profit into the shop.
What has been the biggest challenge running this business?
Maintaining a consistent cash flow. Also, maintaining the property to a high standard. This is an 1841 building, where Marty’s Music was for 35 years. I’m spending the proceeds from the business on new inventory and on the upkeep and improvements to the building.
What has been successful about your business strategy?
Forging friendships and alliances with local talent in the area. We have a variety of artists of all venues who enjoy spending time in the shop and sharing their “secrets” with the customers. Self-financing helps keep the business fluid, affording us the latitude to be flexible in our prices, operating hours and inventory. Finally, running a family-owned business affords us the opportunity to spend time together.
What are your future goals for the business?
Our future goals are to expand the retail floor space and to continue to seek out more local avenues for unique and quality merchandise for the shop. Right now, we have about 1,095 square feet and there’s another 250 square feet available once I renovate it.
In terms of the merchandise, there are a lot of women in Brunswick with talent — a lot of mixed-media artists and wonderful seamstresses who are nurses or have other high-stress jobs who love to sew. There are some unbelievable seamstresses and they’ll be doing some tailoring for me, things like sewing a tailored lampshade. You can’t find items like that, and if you do, it’s $175. Who wants to spend $175 on a lampshade?
Why did you name it Blessings?
Dom and I have been extremely blessed in all walks of life. There was a shop in California called Blessings and it’s one of my mom’s favorite shops. When I went into that shop, I was struck by how unique is was. You know, I think that people don’t count their blessings, not so much in a religious sense as a spiritual one. You have this great life, but you don’t really think about the good things, you focus on the stressors. I think your home can help with that sense of appreciation. Look at your home and all the nice things you surround yourself with — things you enjoy — and it makes you feel good.
Interview by Carol Coultas
New Ventures profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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