November 12, 2007
Curiousity shop | A chat with Reneé Garland, owner of Waterlily Imports in Portland.
Founded: July 2006
Employees: Garland, part-time employees on an as-needed basis
Startup costs: $44,000
Revenue, year one: $57,000
Projected revenue, year two: $64,000
Contact: 266-9445
37B Wharf St., Portland 04101
www.waterlilyimports.com
Tell me about Waterlily Imports.
Waterlily started from just traveling to Asia a lot for the winters ˆ just a hatred for wintertime in Maine. So I decided to go to Thailand, and I have been going now for seven years. I just started buying about five years ago, but I started very small, with actually $250 worth of chopsticks. At the end of a backpacking trip, I had a couple hundred dollars left over. I bought some chopsticks and decided to sell at festivals all over Maine in the summertime. And so on the $250 investment, I turned that into $3,000.
How did selling at festivals develop into opening the store?
I felt like I was ready to have a full-time job doing this. The truth of the matter is, I was a gardener for a long time on estates on the coast of Maine. I didn't feel like I had a lot of choices because I always have been self-employed and I don't like working for anybody else. And so it was just inevitable, you just find the next thing.
What kind of items do you sell?
I started with chopsticks, like I was saying, but when I opened the store I knew I had to have a lot of other inventory, and doing some festivals over time I was able to learn what sold and what didn't. I've been buying a lot of accessories, so it's mostly an accessories shop: scarves, handbags, some home décor, but it's very random.
How do you go about finding the people who make your products?
First of all, I can speak Thai, just from being there for so long, and it's not necessary to speak Thai but it definitely helps. I guess [I find products by] just knowing one person [and going] to the next and the next. The artisan communities are kind of small. I'm friends with these people so they take me to their friend's house, and over time I just get to know these communities of people.
What has been people's reaction to the store?
It's been very good. I think people are really interested in the whole conscious-trade aspect, which is what I'm promoting, because I think more and more people want to know where their money is going. If they want to know a story behind any of the products, then I can tell them about those people who made it, so I think that that is really catching on.
What is conscious trade?
It's something that I've sort of tagged myself. Conscious trade for me means knowing where things come from and who makes them, and developing connections along the way.
Where did you get your startup funding?
Just over time, from starting very slowly doing festivals. I also borrowed money from First National Bank of Bar Harbor. I didn't open the store until I thought I was financially ready, so I had some money saved, and I also borrowed a substantial amount to get the shop going.
What do you do with the store while you're traveling?
I actually close up the shop from January through April. It's not ideal. I would love to have someone in here, but it would have to be the right person and it would have to be somebody really trustworthy.
Do you have any employees?
It's me full time. I go through bouts of me working seven days a week, but sometimes I have part-time help. Right now, I have two employees that just work one day a week.
How do you market your store?
I feel like I haven't done enough. I have a fantastic website, but I really haven't utilized it enough. I really need someone who's better at marketing. I would absolutely appreciate someone else to work in the company that would know more about sales and marketing, because that is my weakness.
What are your plans for the shop?
I have big plans for Waterlily. I'd like to have more stores in other parts of the country as well. I probably wouldn't be in any other part of Maine. I'm thinking more San Francisco, Montreal or Santa Fe.
Interview by Mindy Favreau
Employees: Garland, part-time employees on an as-needed basis
Startup costs: $44,000
Revenue, year one: $57,000
Projected revenue, year two: $64,000
Contact: 266-9445
37B Wharf St., Portland 04101
www.waterlilyimports.com
Tell me about Waterlily Imports.
Waterlily started from just traveling to Asia a lot for the winters ˆ just a hatred for wintertime in Maine. So I decided to go to Thailand, and I have been going now for seven years. I just started buying about five years ago, but I started very small, with actually $250 worth of chopsticks. At the end of a backpacking trip, I had a couple hundred dollars left over. I bought some chopsticks and decided to sell at festivals all over Maine in the summertime. And so on the $250 investment, I turned that into $3,000.
How did selling at festivals develop into opening the store?
I felt like I was ready to have a full-time job doing this. The truth of the matter is, I was a gardener for a long time on estates on the coast of Maine. I didn't feel like I had a lot of choices because I always have been self-employed and I don't like working for anybody else. And so it was just inevitable, you just find the next thing.
What kind of items do you sell?
I started with chopsticks, like I was saying, but when I opened the store I knew I had to have a lot of other inventory, and doing some festivals over time I was able to learn what sold and what didn't. I've been buying a lot of accessories, so it's mostly an accessories shop: scarves, handbags, some home décor, but it's very random.
How do you go about finding the people who make your products?
First of all, I can speak Thai, just from being there for so long, and it's not necessary to speak Thai but it definitely helps. I guess [I find products by] just knowing one person [and going] to the next and the next. The artisan communities are kind of small. I'm friends with these people so they take me to their friend's house, and over time I just get to know these communities of people.
What has been people's reaction to the store?
It's been very good. I think people are really interested in the whole conscious-trade aspect, which is what I'm promoting, because I think more and more people want to know where their money is going. If they want to know a story behind any of the products, then I can tell them about those people who made it, so I think that that is really catching on.
What is conscious trade?
It's something that I've sort of tagged myself. Conscious trade for me means knowing where things come from and who makes them, and developing connections along the way.
Where did you get your startup funding?
Just over time, from starting very slowly doing festivals. I also borrowed money from First National Bank of Bar Harbor. I didn't open the store until I thought I was financially ready, so I had some money saved, and I also borrowed a substantial amount to get the shop going.
What do you do with the store while you're traveling?
I actually close up the shop from January through April. It's not ideal. I would love to have someone in here, but it would have to be the right person and it would have to be somebody really trustworthy.
Do you have any employees?
It's me full time. I go through bouts of me working seven days a week, but sometimes I have part-time help. Right now, I have two employees that just work one day a week.
How do you market your store?
I feel like I haven't done enough. I have a fantastic website, but I really haven't utilized it enough. I really need someone who's better at marketing. I would absolutely appreciate someone else to work in the company that would know more about sales and marketing, because that is my weakness.
What are your plans for the shop?
I have big plans for Waterlily. I'd like to have more stores in other parts of the country as well. I probably wouldn't be in any other part of Maine. I'm thinking more San Francisco, Montreal or Santa Fe.
Interview by Mindy Favreau
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