A Store in Camden, Maine | The Slow Goods Podcast | Episode 12

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Slowgoods podcast. I'm your host, Logan Rackliff at the rope company. And today we have with us Liz Senders from Once a Tree, our local, local great retailer that's a partner with a rope company here in Camden, Maine, and just so excited to have you. [00:00:17] Speaker B: I'm excited to be here. [00:00:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Thanks so much for coming. Yeah. Liz, I would love if you could just kind of introduce what is Once a tree and share a little bit of Once A Tree's story, you know, kind of how it became to be. Right. [00:00:31] Speaker B: Okay. I'd love to. So Once A Tree has been in business for 41 years. It was started in 1983 in Camden by the previous owner, Bernice Berger, and her then husband. It was down on Bayview street near the waterfront for many, many years. And then the space opened up on Main street, and she took that, I think, about 16 years ago. So we've been in the current location for a long time. Although many people still remember shopping at the Bayview street location. I actually worked there when I was, I think, about 15 for one summer. Little did I know a bunch of years later I'd end up owning it. But Bernice was a family friend, and so I always knew, always spent time with her, always knew about the store. And then she started thinking she wanted to sell it in maybe 2018. And my husband and I had another business at the time, and my husband's an engineer, so we really thought. I'm not sure how we could add something else to the plate with two kids as well. However, we were definitely intrigued because it's such a great business. We both love the products that Once Tree sells. My husband's family had owned furniture stores way back in the day, really nice Scandinavian furniture. So he was attracted to the idea of having a store with some nice wood products. And I had an art gallery. So I've always been very interested in, you know, aesthetics and how things work together and definitely comfortable with selling things to visitors and locals as well. So we were intrigued, but just not sure how we could make it work. However, time went on and we kind of started to discuss with Bernice, and we kind of started realizing we might be able to make it work. And we were excited about it, which, you know, like, the idea was exciting, and we thought it might be worth really pursuing. So we ended up closing on, I think, one of the first days, maybe even January 2nd of 2020, of course, not knowing what was about to come. So it ended up being quite a memorable first year. And I Am very relieved. We're like, over that. The pandemic mostly, and able to. It took us a while to really kind of find our stride at first because it was just such a weird year and we were just getting to know the store, the staff, all that, and then had a pandemic on top of it. [00:03:12] Speaker A: All right. Yeah, that's interesting. So I want to hear more about the store, but before I forget, I would love to hear a little more on your gallery and the Scandinavian furniture with your husband. [00:03:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know that much. It was when he was very small. His parents had, I think, a couple of furniture stores. [00:03:36] Speaker A: Where was that? [00:03:37] Speaker B: I think New Jersey. [00:03:38] Speaker A: Okay. [00:03:38] Speaker B: I'm a little sketchy on the details, but they, they. His mom still talks about some of their trips over to Scandinavia, buying trips. And we actually still have a few pieces from, from the store in our house. And it's, it's simple, almost Shaker esque, some of it. [00:03:56] Speaker A: Okay. [00:03:56] Speaker B: Just beautiful wood, interesting designs, but not complicated or elaborate. Like simple, simple beauty. And clearly all these years later, we're still using some of it. So it's stuff that just lasts. [00:04:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:10] Speaker B: And then the art gallery my parents started in 1984. So they had moved to Maine with the idea. They were both teachers, but they had the intent of starting an art gallery because it was, I think, more my dad's dream. But my mom also really enjoyed the business y side of things. So they started the art gallery and I grew up with them owning that. And then. [00:04:33] Speaker A: That was in Camden. [00:04:35] Speaker B: That was in Camden. And they started that just a year after Bernice started. Once a tree. So that's kind of how my mom and Bernice became friends because they were both starting businesses in the community and got very involved with the community, the business community and the downtown. And so owning, taking over my parents gallery was always an option, but it took me a while to warm up to it just because I knew I wanted to go out and kind of do my own thing before I came back to Camden. I grew up in Camden and I am so happy to live there now, but I definitely needed to test out other parts of the world, other parts of the country before I really wanted to come back when it was a decision, not just because it was what was expected or the only option I had. So it took me a bit, but I finally, finally realized it was at least worth a shot. And as it turns out, I really love owning a business. So I maybe I think in 2008 is when I moved back from California and Took over that started taking over the gallery. And I think I ended up feeling like it was even better fit than I thought it would be. So that was exciting. And then we. I sold the gallery at the end of 2021. [00:05:52] Speaker A: So you had both there. [00:05:53] Speaker B: I did have both for two years. And the first year was the pandemic year. And then the second year, 2021 was an unusual year because it got very, very busy in Camden. But we were all working with pretty much skeleton crews and keeping all the COVID procedures in place. And so it's a lot. It was a lot. And I just kept feeling like I love both these businesses so much, but I cannot be two places at once as well as. [00:06:25] Speaker A: And have kids or do anything. [00:06:27] Speaker B: Have family. Yeah. So I felt very spread thin. As much as I didn't want to be, it was just. I just was spread thin. [00:06:35] Speaker A: Yeah, Yeah, I totally understand. I had to. Or I decided because I was lobstering too. [00:06:42] Speaker B: Okay. [00:06:43] Speaker A: Just like you can't be the husband and father I want to be and do all this. [00:06:49] Speaker B: There's only so many hours in the day. [00:06:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:52] Speaker B: And some of them you have to sleep. Some of them. [00:06:54] Speaker A: Yes. Sometimes. Yeah. We have a seven month old, so sometimes. [00:06:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:00] Speaker A: There's just times where you're a little bit slower, it seems like. So, so. Well, that's really exciting. So, yeah, you were telling us more. So how you got. Now you have the store. [00:07:11] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:12] Speaker A: And things are going and let's say you get through the pandemic. So now you're in your groove. [00:07:20] Speaker B: Yes, Definitely feel like we're in the groove. [00:07:22] Speaker A: Good, good. And so I will say Liz's store, once a tree is beautiful. [00:07:30] Speaker B: There. Thank you. [00:07:30] Speaker A: That's gorgeous. Yeah, she. There's a. I'll let you tell more about it, but just from my perspective, there's, you know, lots of wood, lots of stone. [00:07:38] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:39] Speaker A: And you know, those natural, awesome, timeless materials. [00:07:42] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:42] Speaker A: And just quality items with a story. So, you know, what would you add to that or how would you just, you know, really explain the store and what's special about it? [00:07:56] Speaker B: Yeah. So the concept was, I think, believe Bernice and her then husband had a young son. And I think the concept was they were, I think, even making toys for him. And I think the concept was to open a store where literally everything was once a tree. All wood products, all handcrafted locally. And of course, it grew from there, or as we say at the store, it branched out. Nice. Because it's a cool concept. But we also live in coastal Maine where we Have a lot of people visiting. So I believe she started catering to people from away as well as locals. And that is still super important to us today to have something that local people enjoy coming in and shopping for. And we certainly want to be a store that people are excited to shop at when they're visiting from wherever they're visiting from. So it's a nice balance of. Of both, I think. And so, yeah, the. Yes. A lot of stone. Stone and wood actually work really well together aesthetically. Copper actually works really well in the store. We have a lot of products that are a copper wood blend, another, you know, natural product or material. And it just kind of works really well. It's like the tones work well with wood. Yes, they do. And then we do have a fair amount of jewelry too. Lots of main jewelers and a nice range of price points. So jewelry was an easy one, I think for the store to add because it doesn't take up a lot of space and it's something people love to give and get right. So that was kind of a natural fit. And we do also try to have some more fun items in the store. So like games and, you know, maybe sillier things. But we. One thing we always kind of come back to, especially when I'm trying to add something new, is does it have a function as well as form? So we kind of want. All of our beautiful bowls are also meant to be used and like your beautiful doormats obviously are meant to be used and last. So that's really important too that something might make you smile but you want to be using it in another few years as well as just bought it and then forgot about it. [00:10:25] Speaker A: The form and function. [00:10:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:28] Speaker A: What is the kind of mix on locals versus tourists and the season? How does that kind of play out for you guys? [00:10:38] Speaker B: So all year we have people, local people coming in especially for gift buying. [00:10:44] Speaker A: Gift buying, right. [00:10:45] Speaker B: We do gift wrap, we make things look great, we do not charge for it. And so I know that's a big reason people are shopping at the store is because. [00:10:53] Speaker A: And you have an awesome team. [00:10:55] Speaker B: Thank you. Yeah, they're super nice. They are amazing. Three of the, my three full time, year round staff, they have actually been at the store for two of them 10 years and one of them 20 years. So I am the new person in that group and I feel so fortunate. And then our summer crew are actually all returning. So they're now in college, but I have four young women who this past summer was at least their third season and they'll Be back for the holidays, too. So I feel so lucky. So, yeah. So locals are coming in for gifts. That's a lot of the reason why I'm seeing locals. Or they have purchased, like, maybe a rental or they've redesign their house and they need some new. Some new things for the house. But in the summer, it is more often like, I'm, you know, the. On a day, it's more definitely the percentage of people not from Camden or Maine is much higher than the percentage who are. Sure. And so it's a lot of people. You know, we love talking to people. So we've got people from all over the country, the world, and so it's fun. And someone local walks in and we're like, oh, hey, what are you doing here? Kind of thing. And then it shifts. So then one thing I love about December is I love the energy in the store because it's fun leading up to the holidays. But it's also almost entirely local people. And I always feel so supported by the community in December, especially because it's like, wow, I'm seeing all these people that I know, some of them well, some of them more of an acquaintance. And it's just really fun to like, be down there and sometimes having a super quick interaction and sometimes a little bit longer because there's time and it's a really fun. And I love that the proportion totally shifts. [00:12:51] Speaker A: Parts of the year, the summer people that usually are there, are they also buying mostly for gifts or is it souvenirs? Like, I guess you kind of have some souvenirs, but is it. [00:13:02] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a mix. I feel like some people when they're on their trip, they're definitely shopping for. We get a lot of people actually shopping for, like, the pet sitter or the person, you know, who's holding down the fort at home, and they want to bring something back for that person. Other people love to buy stuff thinking ahead to the holidays, but from their trip. So then they can give the gift at the holidays and say, we bought this when we were in Camden, Maine. And so even though the item isn't overtly Camden, Maine, it was bought in Camden, Maine. [00:13:39] Speaker A: Yeah, it has story to it. [00:13:40] Speaker B: Yes, exactly. But a lot of times people actually are shopping because I think sometimes when people go on vacation, they give themselves permission to spend a little money that maybe they don't always give themselves at home. And it's like, oh, you know, I'll be able to. I've been wanting something like this, and I bought it in Camden and it'll remind me of my trip. [00:13:59] Speaker A: Which one of those people, what time of year are they kind of buying, you know, bigger. Bigger items versus smaller. Does that matter? [00:14:06] Speaker B: It is a mix. So every day, one of the things I love looking at is like the daily sales report. And it is just so much fun to see the range. It is a little bit of everything. Of course, we have some items in the store that, you know, are kind of like the best sellers or the standouts, but it is such a mix of price points and items. And I think we also pride ourselves on being a store with something for everyone, and that includes the range of price points as well as the range of items. [00:14:42] Speaker A: Sure. Yeah. So that makes me think of a good question. How do you play the. Or how do you decide on quality versus price and story and like, how do you find that kind of balance? [00:14:57] Speaker B: Well, luckily, we don't really have to set prices because it's really important to me that from store to store, prices are pretty much the same. And when people shop online, so we pretty much just fall into line with. Unless we're the only people selling something, we would just generally fall into line with what other people charge. So that way. I just think that's important these days that people, when they shop around, they're seeing you don't want to buy something for $25 and then see it for 15 somewhere else. [00:15:37] Speaker A: Right. So you have a pretty good feel what's going on around you and online and everything. [00:15:41] Speaker B: Yeah, and we just follow some pretty basic, you know, margins of. Of we paid this much for it, and we need to then charge this much. [00:15:49] Speaker A: But when you decide on. On what products to have, is it, you know, where you want to have that big range? You know, if it gets. If it can, you know, sometimes if things are lower priced, you know, the quality might not be as good, but it depends how big it is and everything else. So how do you kind of feel out. Decide on, you know, those lines? Or is it just to feel like, you know, this is the kind of. [00:16:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I always. I mean, I really do try to have everything in the store be good quality. I never want. Whenever I'm looking at something and I ask myself, like, would I be kind of embarrassed to sell this? And if the answer is yes, it's a no, because I never want to be selling something. I don't feel good about people walking away with inexpensive items. It kind of depends. You can find some nice quality, inexpensive items. We have a line of jewelry it's made in. They're based in New Hampshire, but they have connections with India and Thailand, and the owner has met the craftspeople in those countries, and the quality is actually really excellent, but the price point is really, really good. So we sell a ton of this line of jewelry because it's sterling silver, and it's really nice, but it's very affordable. [00:17:17] Speaker A: Yeah, that's really neat that they know that, and they've been over there and seen all the. [00:17:21] Speaker B: Yeah, it feels good. It feels much better than, you know, oh, this looks good. And we have no idea. [00:17:28] Speaker A: Right. I love that, though, your question, you ask yourself, you know, would I be. [00:17:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:32] Speaker A: Did you say, yeah, I can't remember. Yeah. I feel like we all need that kind of some kind of question to ask ourselves. [00:17:39] Speaker B: Yeah. And then I always ask myself, like, will this ad. Will this product add something new to our selection in an interesting way? And if it's just repeating what we're already doing, then why bring it in? We do have a lot of items in the store, so it's really important that every item is kind of doing something, or else it really is just adding kind of clutter to. [00:18:03] Speaker A: Right, yeah. Be intentional. [00:18:06] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:18:07] Speaker A: Yeah. So that's great, because you're leading right into these things I want to talk about. So how do you decide? I get you probably already talked a little bit about it, but, like, what's the process of when you do want to. How do you decide when you want to add new or if you add new? Is there, like, so much of the story you want to turn over every year type of thing and don't give any secrets away? Yeah, but any kind of general things, you know, people would think would be interesting. Yeah. [00:18:39] Speaker B: So we. Every year. Well, I kind of always have a list, both in my head and literally a list at my desk at home, of areas where I feel like there's room to add something. And so I'm kind of. And then it's kind of ranked by, like, importance. So I have a couple areas where I'm like, well, that would be cool to add, you know, a new something. Glass. You know, something. Some beautiful pieces of glass that could almost be, like, not a showstopper, but a bit of a Catch your eye as you walk in the store. [00:19:14] Speaker A: So when you say areas, do you mean physical spots in the location? [00:19:17] Speaker B: Sometimes I'm thinking about physical spots, like. [00:19:18] Speaker A: In this case or a product category. You're missing a little bit of both. [00:19:22] Speaker B: Because, like, with this glass example, I have literally been thinking about an area of the store where I wouldn't mind a little bit of a change and something really with a bit of a wow factor would be perfect. And bringing in a material that you're not seeing a lot of in the store, but that's not super critical. Then I have some areas where I either know that a vendor I'm working with is maybe heading toward retirement, or we're starting to, like, the interest in a certain item is starting to taper off. And I'm thinking, okay, I need to find. I need to get kind of active about finding something that will slowly take this place. And then there's other categories where I'm like, we are so good in that category. Like, something really compelling would have to come along for me to add something new. Because when you add something new, you're inevitably creating competition for other things in that category. [00:20:19] Speaker A: Right. [00:20:20] Speaker B: And if we're already doing really well with somebody, a vendor, I don't really want to make their sales. Like, my overall sales might look the same, but their sales, my orders with them might decrease a bit, and I don't want to do that to them unless there's kind of a need to or a reason to, or it's just the natural trend. [00:20:38] Speaker A: Plus probably your current, like, your staples in the store. That's kind of what makes, you know, the. Almost the foundation of Once a Tree, let's say. [00:20:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:49] Speaker A: And people might expect that. [00:20:50] Speaker B: Right, Right. So that's another thing that we're always trying to find the balance of, because we do have people coming in year after year or sometimes month after month. And I want them to both be excited about what they see in the store. So some new things for them to be excited about, but it should still look and feel like the store they know and love. And that was kind of important to us when we bought the store was we didn't want to reinvent Once a Tree because Once a Tree is already a thriving, great business that people love. We just wanted to add our own embellishments and reorganization a bit. And so the same kind of concept with when people come back, you know, next summer. I do want to have some new things that myself and the staff are really excited for people to see and shop. But I don't want to get rid of the staples or I, you know, think of them as, like, Once a Tree classics. Like. [00:21:43] Speaker A: Right. That's a great way to put it. I love that. Yeah. We have, you know, a lot of our retailers and partners will say, like, I don't know, they'll just tell us, like, we're the you know, we're the spot that people come to get the rope company doormats. Like, where the. Because we just try to have one spot and, you know, one good spot in every geographic location. And, like, a lot of designers will come to them because they have a well curated space, and they, like, come like, this is where I come to get these doormats for my clients or whatever. So. [00:22:17] Speaker B: And you don't want to let that person down, right? Yeah. [00:22:20] Speaker A: Right. So that's, you know, so you have your staples, and this is kind of like the foundation. It's really neat to hear. So what is the. Is there any. What's the biggest difference? You feel like since Bernice had the store, you know, what change have you kind of brought? [00:22:38] Speaker B: So we opened up the back of the store up visually. [00:22:42] Speaker A: Right. [00:22:44] Speaker B: One good thing about the pandemic was we were closed for two months. And so we were able to. Actually, there was carpeting in the second half of the store, the back. And we knew ideally we wanted to get rid of that, but we thought, well, when would we ever. You know, this was before the pandemic. We were like, well, when would we ever actually find the time? Maybe next winter. Well, when the store was closed, we actually, my husband and a friend, actually, we moved everything up to the front of the store, and then he ripped up the carpeting and put down white main, white pine floors to kind of match. Well, it's not really a match with what's in the front of the store, but it looks good with what's in the front of the store. And the white pine is a little bit brighter. So just by doing that, the back of the store was brightened up. And I actually painted the walls. They had been a sage green, which you can still see in some areas of the stor front, but we changed all the walls to white. So the back of the store, when you first walk in the store, it just looks brighter back there. And then we also eliminated. We kind of just redid the way the shelving was and got rid of some freestanding display structures that were blocking it. So it's just more open in the back. And I think we're enjoying that. And visually, I think it looks really good. And then just kind of so people can see. [00:24:05] Speaker A: You can. You can see the Camden harbor, right? [00:24:07] Speaker B: You can. [00:24:08] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:24:09] Speaker B: And it's so beautiful. [00:24:10] Speaker A: The Camden Harbor. [00:24:11] Speaker B: Our real dream is to someday have, like, French doors that would open. And there's a back deck that we have a door to, but it's off the sales floor. [00:24:20] Speaker A: The deck's already there. [00:24:21] Speaker B: The deck's already there. But I don't think it's up to. I'm not sure it's up to code for, like, people like, I. It would. It would require some discussions with the landlord and probably some different insurance. But ideally, we would love to have the doors be able to open and people to be able to go out there and stand for a minute and enjoy. Enjoy the view. It's so pretty. And then, yeah, we just kind of reorganized things, I think. Just kind of with our fresh eyes, we were able to see certain things and. And phase a few things out that we didn't think were a perfect fit for the store. But nothing. I mean, nothing super dramatic, I'm sure. [00:25:07] Speaker A: Yeah, you tried to keep that base you were talking about, but is there, like, a favorite item you've brought in? [00:25:12] Speaker B: Oh, that we've added? Oh, there's a lot, actually. Some really incredible woodworkers. This one guy makes cutting boards that I absolutely love. Unfortunately, he's heading to retirement, so the batch we have are, like the last ones we're going to have from him. But Harvey Reams, absolutely gorgeous cutting boards. So memorable. And then. Well, you're putting me on the spot now because I'm gonna list a few, and then I'm sure I'm gonna forget so many. [00:25:39] Speaker A: Wow. I don't think anybody will be offended. [00:25:42] Speaker B: Yeah. Beautiful jewelers we've added. And some other things that I wouldn't have thought were gonna hit so well, but they did this one line of recycled water bottles. They're cloths, like, kind of working to replace paper towels, but it's called Once Again Home. And they just look and feel really great, but they're also really useful. So again, the fun form and function. I mean, there have been a lot. I think this was our fifth year, so every year we've added numerous products. So. [00:26:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Is there any kind of number that you try to stick to? Hey, we want to add 10% new every. Or is it just. [00:26:24] Speaker B: I don't really think like that. It's. We have over 100 vendors, so 10% actually probably is about right when I think about it. We're probably bringing in 10, at least 10, 10 ish new companies or vendors every year. And then some of them also phase out for one reason or another, so there's always that flow. But yeah, I never really quite think of it like that. It's more. I have the store divided into categories, and when I see a weaker. An area that has a little bit of weakness I'm like, okay, we definitely want to bolster that section a bit. [00:27:03] Speaker A: Yeah. And I mean, in a store, you only have so much space. [00:27:06] Speaker B: Right. [00:27:06] Speaker A: Like, the space, you know, is not kind of pretty. [00:27:11] Speaker B: It's precious. [00:27:11] Speaker A: Very valuable. Yeah, Precious is a great. [00:27:13] Speaker B: And we've tried to amp up the kitchen section, too, because Camden does not have a kitchen store. [00:27:19] Speaker A: Oh, right. So there's not many actually in Maine. [00:27:21] Speaker B: Yeah, there's some great ones in Belfast Bathroom. But we really wanted to amp up that section a bit with limited space. But we really are very intentional about the gadgets. People actually really enjoy shopping for kitchen gadgets. So we try to have some nice gadgets and unusual gadgets, you know, like pickle pinchers and zesters and, you know, little things that people are really excited to find. [00:27:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:47] Speaker B: And then I want people to think of us as their. As a kitchen store, even though we're not going to be like the. The all end all. Because we just don't have that kind of room. [00:27:55] Speaker A: Are most of your items or are they made fairly locally? [00:27:59] Speaker B: Yeah, well, truthfully, there's items from all over the world, but we certainly try to highlight, you know, the local. Closer to Maine. Maine, New England woodworkers. We've been doing really well with a guy from Rockland, and he makes a bunch of things. Bowls, pizza wheels, ice cream scoops, cutting boards. He has a few prototypes of exciting boards we're really excited about for next year. But his ice cream scoop is, like. We just were looking at the numbers. It's like our second most sold item in the store. [00:28:34] Speaker A: Wow, that's so cool. [00:28:36] Speaker B: And it's a really fun item. [00:28:38] Speaker A: Well, you get the wood and you get the kitchen there. Yeah. [00:28:40] Speaker B: And it's a fun gift and a good price point. So, I mean, his story is he's just a local guy who also leads fishing trips and is a woodworker. So, you know, it's. He's a younger guy, so, I mean, I don't. [00:28:57] Speaker A: He leads fishing trips. [00:28:58] Speaker B: Leads fishing trips. Yeah. Like, he takes people out fishing. [00:29:01] Speaker A: My guy died. [00:29:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So my family went with him a couple years ago, and I had never caught, like, striper fishing. Yeah, we caught some really big fish. None of them were actually big enough to keep, but it felt like they were huge. [00:29:12] Speaker A: Yeah. And that's cool. [00:29:15] Speaker B: Yeah, it was fun. So he's a younger guy. He's a great guy. Yeah, he's a great guy. And it's exciting that, you know, I was so pleased to show him the data yesterday that his scoops Are like our second most sold item in the store. [00:29:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:27] Speaker B: And then I'd be remiss, not to mention Lisa Holt. She's from Camden. [00:29:31] Speaker A: I've heard that. [00:29:32] Speaker B: A retired elementary teacher. She taught at Hope for years. And she does the pebble art, and it's in little frames, and she finds sea glass and pebbles and then turns it into her compositions. Are often with. It looks like a little family or it looks like birds or like a little sailboat. It's simple. But she really can convey quite a lot of meaning in this little pebble art. And she's local, and her story's great because she's a lovely person and a retired teacher. But also there are knockoffs out there, you know, like, of course, it's made in China. And it's like, come on. Like, Lisa's right here. And so we're really proud to carry her work. And that's one of our top selling items. [00:30:18] Speaker A: So she literally sits there, pebble by pebble, and puts these together by us. [00:30:21] Speaker B: Yeah. And she'll. It's incredible because she'll. With just like two pebbles and a little bit of drawing, and it's like, I could have never seen that. That's. You know, that pebble could turn into that cute little scene. So her eye. She just has a very good artistic eye. And she's great to work with. [00:30:41] Speaker A: Yeah. The creative. [00:30:42] Speaker B: So I don't know if I'm really answering your question. We just really enjoy. And Lisa's been at once a tree longer than me. Like, she, you know, we just really enjoy working with some of these. We've gotten to know a lot of these people really well over the years. [00:30:56] Speaker A: Sure. What. I'm assuming wood is the most popular material or probably wood. [00:31:02] Speaker B: But a lot of things are like, I was saying that wood, like either a wood most often, I guess the wooden copper combo. We've got lamps and sculptures and many things in the store that are kind of that combo. And it works well. But, yeah, wood is probably the most common material, copper. [00:31:22] Speaker A: So when people are in the store and they're just like, maybe they're not asking you guys questions, but you just hear them chatting, like, what are they talking about? [00:31:33] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, we get a lot of compliments on the store, which is awesome. Either right directly to us, or I will hear. You can actually hear people when they walk in. And I don't think people always know that, but I'll hear people say, just yesterday someone said this. She's like, oh, I love this store. We got to go in the store. It's my favorite store. And we'll hear that like, so someone will be kind of showing their group or the person their companion, kind of excited to bring them in. And that feels really good to hear people say that. And we hear people will sometimes split up in the store and then they'll find each other and it'll be like, oh, you found something. And sometimes you'll hear surprise in the person's voice because say it's someone who doesn't usually get into shopping. And so we'll hear kind of like a. Oh, what did you find? And I love that too, because it's clear that both people are kind of excited about, like, that they're both having a positive experience. [00:32:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, that's great. That'd be me over there in the corner. I'm usually just with my business eye thinking everything over and. Or I'm like, I go into a store, I'm very purposeful, usually. [00:32:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:39] Speaker A: Even on vacation, I'm like, I'm going here and I'm getting this item. Yeah, I love shopping, but I'm like, I don't know where to stop if I start dancing. [00:32:46] Speaker B: I know you could probably analyze all the different kinds of shoppers, but yeah. [00:32:50] Speaker A: When I find something, I'm like, oh, man, check this. You know, I think my wife's surprise. And yeah, and Hannah, she's. Hannah can spend three hours and just. She just wants to sit there and really, like, look at these things and. [00:33:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:05] Speaker A: And you know, it's. It's so cool to like, watch her and see how she appreciates and what she thinks of. She's a creative too, so she just is like, she loves doing crafts, like, how can I make this? And I'm just very functional and going forward. So kind of a good combo. Sometimes I just gotta walk over to the next door, start looking, let her. [00:33:28] Speaker B: Do her thing, and you're gone. Yeah. [00:33:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:30] Speaker B: The other thing I love is this just happened yesterday too. So a couple was in the store a few days ago, and I know one of them. So I said hello and met his significant other. And they were just kind of walking around. I think they had a little time to kill, actually. So they weren't even really there for any reason, but they were just wandering around and it was a beautiful day. And then he came back yesterday without her because. And he bought something and we gift wrapped it for Christmas. So he's gonna surprise her because that will happen a lot is that people are unknowing to the one person, but the Second person is kind of watching to see what the first person. [00:34:14] Speaker A: Man, those are wise people. [00:34:15] Speaker B: Yes, totally. Because, you know, if you have someone in your life that's hard to buy for, one great trick is go with them in a store and watch what they are commenting on or spending time looking at or loving. And then you sneak back and kind of pick that up, and it's really thoughtful and kind of makes it a little bit easier when it does come time to give them a gift, you know, it's gonna be a hit, and it shows how thoughtful you were. And I love being part of moments like that. [00:34:42] Speaker A: Yeah, that's really. That's a great experience, Hannah. Well, I feel like whenever Hannah points something out, it's like springtime and it's like a Christmas gift, and I'm like, man, I'm gonna remember that. Yeah. I pretend like, I don't even pay attention. Oh, yeah, that's great. You know, And I do I need to have a list. [00:34:58] Speaker B: Yep. Get a list going. [00:34:59] Speaker A: A lot of different lists. The problem my lists are I need to look at them. [00:35:03] Speaker B: Yes. [00:35:04] Speaker A: Or calendars or anything like that. You know, but what do. So that's what people are just commenting as they're going around. What do people mostly just ask you guys? What are they coming up? [00:35:16] Speaker B: Where to have lunch. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Where to have lunch. Yeah. [00:35:19] Speaker B: We get that question so many times a day. I need to have a little flyer I can hand out. But actually, we do have all the menus behind this counter so that we can be helpful if people need more help. But seriously, people often ask functional questions like how to care for their wood products or if, like, you know, the ceramics can go in the dishwasher. So some kind of, like, more like basic questions, or they're asking for help honing in on the right item as a gift. [00:35:57] Speaker A: So they'll just. I don't know about. What do you think about the. So, I mean, well, they'll kind of. [00:36:02] Speaker B: Describe the recipient to us. [00:36:05] Speaker A: Right. [00:36:05] Speaker B: Give us an idea of what they've centered. Yeah. And then. And then we kind of try to help them find what they're looking for. Right. [00:36:14] Speaker A: So that's what you're really getting when you come into once a tree or some other place that is really special. Like, you guys, like, where your team has been there for 10, 20 years and you have good style and taste. You know, people like, that's a special curation gift that, like. Yeah, you can go there and really get a fantastic opinion. You know, like, I don't know what I'm Doing here, here's the person and you've in, like, if I came in there to ask, I would also know, like, you've done this with a lot of other people, right? [00:36:44] Speaker B: Yeah, we know what's popular. [00:36:45] Speaker A: Yeah, we know. Hey, that type of person likes this. We heard so a million times. [00:36:49] Speaker B: We know what lands well. [00:36:51] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's, that's. That's really cool. So I think you talked about. We talked about, like, how you go through the process a little bit of, you know, how to find a new item and the decision making process on that. Was there anything else? Or maybe talk a little more on that? Like, is it a. Is it a feel thing? Well, you did say it was, you know, certain areas you're missing out on. Is there anything else? Or maybe like, how to keep things as you're deciding how do you make sure they stay unique? [00:37:35] Speaker B: Yes. Well, we do prefer not to overlap with other places. Right. In Camden, if possible. Which is why I appreciate what you said about try to find one spot in each location that can carry your mats. Because it just is boring for people shopping if they just see things. Well, it makes items look less special. It's also just kind of boring to go from one store to the next and see the same things as a shopper. And then we're just competing with each other more. But, you know, you can really get inside your head with trying to decide what will be successful. [00:38:14] Speaker A: And. [00:38:15] Speaker B: And I actually have kind of recently gotten a little more laid back about it, because the truth is, you just don't always know, no matter how many years you've been doing it. And so I try not to obsess over, like, well, I like this, but are people gonna like it? It's like you just sometimes have to try it and you'll learn a lesson either way. And luckily, we have enough items in the store that if I do try something that doesn't work, other things can kind of pick up the slack from that kind of miss. And then chances are something else will be a hit beyond my anticipation. So I really just try to not. You can't just choose what you like. I mean, it can't just be a store of Liz's favorite things, but it has to be. Like, I'm always kind of thinking, like, you know, will I feel good about selling this item? It might not be my favorite item, but will I feel good about selling it and letting people walk away with it? And so the answer should always be yes. [00:39:19] Speaker A: Right? [00:39:20] Speaker B: And then do I think this will resonate with enough People. And do I think that myself and the staff can talk about it knowledgeably and with enthusiasm? Because people do detect when, you know, if an entire staff is not feeling something, it's gonna come across when people are trying to shop for it, for sure. [00:39:40] Speaker A: So do you get their opinion before you pull a trigger on sometimes. [00:39:43] Speaker B: I mean, yes. I really appreciate the opinion of the ladies there because they've been there a long time, and they all have excellent taste and they're all really good at merchandising. So that's another thing you have to think about is this item is so cool, but how are we going to show it in the store? And so if they, you know, they will sometimes be like, okay, you know, like, they can sometimes play that out before we've even pulled the trigger. And if we kind of have a good plan for something, like how we'll make it work, it feels really better to pull the trigger on it than if we're like, oh, God, where would we even put this in the store? [00:40:22] Speaker A: Right. Yeah. [00:40:23] Speaker B: So it's. I really enjoy the process. It's a lot of. I mean, I can kind of overthink things for sure, but it's also really interesting to try to think things through and then get the results. Like, it's really fun. It's very satisfying when something you kind of played out said, I think this is going to do really well. And then it does. It's like, yes, right. I've nailed it. And then, you know, the opposite can happen, too. [00:40:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:53] Speaker B: Which is always kind of like. I find it kind of funny, actually. [00:40:56] Speaker A: But, yeah, the challenge, it just makes me think of, you know, when I was lobstering, I love. There's some guys that set traps, and they really. They just haul the same strings over and over again all year. They'll move it a little bit, you know, for the fall or something. But, like, I. I shifted every day a lot. I love chasing lobsters and trying to stay ahead of the game. That was my favorite part, was fishing. But, yeah, sometimes you go set that in that spot and you come back and they're like, well, there's lobsters everywhere, and I'm all by myself. This is exciting. Or it's just. There's nothing. There's a reason there's nobody else here. Yeah, this is. That was brutal. But, yeah. And that probably is around. You know, what if it's 10% or whatever it is, but. But, you know, as things. Things come and go, but that just came into my head, but. So I was just asking everybody in the. I love asking everybody on the team that's right here, like hey, what questions would you ask? And. And one of the people Harmony was telling about her father in law, they. I think they're from Virginia, they come up once every year or two and they always want to come to once a treat. And she said that oh, there was this butter container or something. We couldn't think of the right term that he even wanted an while he was in Virginia called to order it or something like that. So I don't know, what do you think people come to expect from once A tree and how do you kind of keep it unique, I guess. [00:42:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:42:24] Speaker A: Or what makes it unique? [00:42:25] Speaker B: People come to expect the form and function for sure. And so, you know, shopping for a butterbell I think or a butter Keeper or whatever, I mean, yeah, you could buy a really boring one off Amazon, but it's like a lot more fun I think to buy a nicely made one from a main potter that is going to look great in your kitchen and came from a store that you enjoy supporting. So yeah, I think people come in, come to expect a, a vast selection and with a local spin whenever possible. [00:43:10] Speaker A: Right. No, that's great. Yeah, I was gonna say a vast selection of quality items with like natural materials or. [00:43:19] Speaker B: I think so. I mean if anything, I think sometimes. I don't know if the word's complaint but something I know for some people the store can be overwhelming because we have a lot in there and people will go around twice and then they'll be like, I didn't see this item. And we'll be like, oh yeah, we show them where it is. And I'm like, oh my God, how did I not see it? I was around the store twice and it's like, well, there's a lot in here. [00:43:46] Speaker A: That's why Hannah can spend three hours because she won't miss them. [00:43:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:49] Speaker A: She'll take their time and slowly and people do. [00:43:52] Speaker B: Like people sometimes will be in this store for a very long time and sometimes they'll buy something and sometimes they won't. And I think it's kind of a compliment when someone can spend a long time in the store and be entertained even if it's just for whatever they're doing. [00:44:07] Speaker A: Definitely. [00:44:08] Speaker B: So yeah, I mean that's what I think. I hope everybody thinks about the store. [00:44:13] Speaker A: Right. [00:44:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:14] Speaker A: I'm gonna say when you're in the day to day, you're not always necessarily thinking of those types of questions, you know. [00:44:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:21] Speaker A: And so what do you. That's probably this is probably the same answer. But what do you hope when people walk through that door and they walk, you know, when they walk in, what do you want them to think? And when they walked out, what do you want them to think? [00:44:33] Speaker B: Well, I want them to be, feel good about being there. So the, you know, the vibe of the store should be friendly and interesting. I guess it definitely is. They want to like explore. Yes. And we all really want people to feel like everyone was professional and knowledgeable and that, you know, the packaging and the wrapping and we really take pride in that. And I want people to leave kind of like, you know, we do have an online store. So I want people to be excited to explore when they get home. I want people to feel like, oh, I can't wait to go back. Next time we're in Camden or the next time, you know, if you're local, the next time I need a gift, like I got a mug today, but I saw something that'll be perfect for when my mother in law's birthday is next month. And I want people to think, yeah, to keep it unique. Yeah, we just have to keep like finding things that are just, you know, being unique gets harder with time because of how. Well, probably because of the Internet and how easy it is to explore everything at our fingertips. So yeah, we just have to keep finding vendors and makers who are doing something just a little bit different or just taking an item that's kind of common but putting their own spin on it. [00:46:02] Speaker A: Right. How do you, I mean, don't give me any secret sauce getaway, but how do you find, you know, do you go to many trade shows or do people come to you? [00:46:12] Speaker B: It's a little bit of everything. Yeah. I kind of feel like trade shows are having a, not a crisis, but a revolution or there's, you know, something going on in the trade show world where it's not quite what it used to be. I think because of the Internet. [00:46:30] Speaker A: Right. Well, it's hard. So we go to trade shows. [00:46:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:32] Speaker A: And we came in after the, I mean people only went like in the 90s. They wore everything for the year at the trade shows. This is like so people. And like people like us. That's the one. We got all our orders for the year. See, we never a part of that. We came in when they were kind. [00:46:49] Speaker B: Of dying, phasing out. [00:46:50] Speaker A: We've even seen them. [00:46:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:52] Speaker A: But now I'd say if the trade shows are doing things well, intentional and really courting people. Well, you know, if they're doing things well, like there's still some great trade shows to be had. And I love when people think they kind of bail because on a trade show, because there's still a lot to be had as far as good buyers showing up and also good vendors that will come and go and, like, somebody leaves. That's a great spot for us to come to. And I think people are starting to. And I'm definitely hoping, but I see that, too. People, like, understand the value of all of our best buyers, or a lot of our. Like, most of our best buyers come and they get stuff in their hands. [00:47:36] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's so important to be able to see and touch things, because one thing I've noticed also from having an art gallery is 2D online, some things look much better than they do in person. But the opposite can happen, too, where something you would pass over just looking at on a screen, when you see it in person, it's like, oh, this is fabulous. [00:48:00] Speaker A: Feel the weight of it. [00:48:02] Speaker B: Yeah. So, yeah, I think the way to do it these days is a little bit of everything. So scouring online, Instagram, the online sales platforms, but also getting out there and seeing things and being open to finding things where you. Even when you aren't necessarily on, like, a buying trip or something. [00:48:27] Speaker A: Right. Yeah. This is how I should have started the podcast. Well, no, this is a good story to tell now. So when we first got going, the rope company. I can't remember if we had any sales before we went to our first trade show. We went to our first trade show right here in Maine. New England products trade show. [00:48:45] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I still do that one. [00:48:46] Speaker A: And, yeah, that'd be a great fit. And so we got some orders there. And then I went on the road. Right. I just was walking around. And so, you know, where should I go? I live right here. I go to Camden, Maine, if there's nobody in Camden, Maine. So I walked around Camden. I'm like, who do we want to partner with the most? And then I was like, once a tree. It was definitely the place. Yeah. And I walked in. I think Bernice was there. I think it was actually. Yeah, it was Bernice I was talking to. So I went in, and I can't remember what I did. You know, I had no skills of any kind at that point. And I just said, here. You know, I'm looking at the rope company. Or, you know, just said a little something. And, you know, she got. I totally understand. Everybody's very busy and they have tons of products and a lot of money already spent. Like, so she Just, you know, just not interested or something like that. I think I went in again, maybe got the same kind of response, but then I went in for a third time, literally that day. I don't think I'd ever do that again now. And Bernice was just super. She was super sweet every time. Maybe it was somebody else the second, but I know I went in three times. [00:50:03] Speaker B: Wow. [00:50:04] Speaker A: I think it was the same day. And she was like, all right, you know, give you guys. Wow. [00:50:09] Speaker B: Persistency. [00:50:10] Speaker A: I can't remember if I just brought a doormat in the third time or what, but she was super awesome every interaction. And if I was probably her, would have been like, hey, you're not getting the message here. Like, I don't want to talk to you, but. And then you guys just did really well for so long. [00:50:32] Speaker B: People love your mats. My parents actually have had one for years before I even owned the store. [00:50:37] Speaker A: Oh, great. [00:50:37] Speaker B: They've had the same one, and it still looks amazing on their front steps. So, yeah, you guys make a good product. [00:50:44] Speaker A: So. Yeah. So. So you. You must have some people come in like that. [00:50:49] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. And I try to, you know, some things. It's really easy. [00:50:54] Speaker A: Must be hard to make time. [00:50:56] Speaker B: It is hard to make time. And I do appreciate when people are aware of, like, some people do not have that skill, and they're oblivious to how busy we are. [00:51:04] Speaker A: And I've done that before. [00:51:05] Speaker B: Some people are aware, and I think I take that into account and I value it. And I will say if it's some. If it's just so obviously not the right fit, that's pretty easy. It's very easy to give people positive feedback, but also say, not for us, but I'm sure you'll find it's when. [00:51:22] Speaker A: Try this guy down the road. [00:51:24] Speaker B: Yeah. It's the hardest time is when it's something that I'm like, oh. Like, I really am not. I'm on the fence. [00:51:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:51:31] Speaker B: And then. So if I do end up saying no, it feels worse because, you know, I. I was tempted and then said no. It feels like more insulting or, you know, and I'll try to always give people a reason that is helpful to them to know why I ended up saying no. [00:51:47] Speaker A: That's very nice. [00:51:48] Speaker B: And I often sense how nervous people are, so I hate to make anyone feel bad because they're putting themselves out there, and it's not easy. And sometimes it just comes down to the timing just wasn't right. And I'll try to always follow people on Instagram or kind of keep an eye on them, but also support them in the tiniest way I can. But, yeah, it can be hard. It can be really hard. [00:52:16] Speaker A: Not everybody is like that, you know. [00:52:19] Speaker B: And I try not to string anybody along. So, you know, if it's. [00:52:22] Speaker A: Yeah. You're not doing them any favors. [00:52:24] Speaker B: No. And they can certainly probably find another outlet if once. The tree is not. Right. Right. But, yeah, I always feel really bad when it's like, I sometimes do ask people to. You know, we've talked, and I'm like, well, it would really help if I can see your product. [00:52:39] Speaker A: Right. [00:52:40] Speaker B: And then they bring their product in, and for whatever reason, seeing it, I'm like, oh, I don't think it's quite right. It feels. It's hard. It's really hard. [00:52:48] Speaker A: Well, you have a great emotional intelligence and you care for people, so that's great. Not everybody will think of all those different things, you know, it's just like, hey, no. [00:52:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:52:59] Speaker A: I don't know if I've had a lot of those, but I think sometimes people are almost, like, just, like, offended or. I think probably that's normal when you're not used to. I mean, now, I haven't been on the road a lot, but lately. But if I'm teaching somebody or what. It's just like, I've stayed in a store like, an hour before because it's just so busy in there. [00:53:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And you're waiting, and I'm just like. [00:53:23] Speaker A: I'm not here to bother them. [00:53:25] Speaker B: Right. [00:53:25] Speaker A: Like, I. Like, they're doing their thing. [00:53:29] Speaker B: Right. [00:53:29] Speaker A: Like, I am not here to swoop in, be like, hey, yeah, no buyer stuff. I'll only stay there, though, if I think it's like a. Like the amazing fit. I've, like, thoroughly looked it over and. But that's cool. So we've talked a lot about Once a Tree. Do you have anything else you want to share about Once a Tree? [00:53:48] Speaker B: Of course. I'm thinking of all these amazing vendors that I haven't mentioned today, but we just have so many great things, and I feel proud. Feel pride to own the store. It wasn't my store that I came up with, but I really do think it's a great store and I enjoy going in there every day. So. Yeah. I mean, I could rattle off all my favorite things, but it would just be probably pretty boring, so. [00:54:14] Speaker A: Right. Well, it came into your hands, you know, you got there. So what now? I'd love to hear. Usually I kind of start with people's stories. I would love to hear. Just kind of. Liz's story a little bit, you know. You know, but you. And you shared a lot, so you don't have to go over everything again. But so you, you know, you grew up in Camden. [00:54:33] Speaker B: Yes. [00:54:34] Speaker A: You went to Camden High School? [00:54:35] Speaker B: I did. [00:54:35] Speaker A: Assuming. And then. And then what? What's between that and the gallery and. [00:54:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So, I mean, the. [00:54:41] Speaker A: Where'd you get your passions from and inspiration, things like that? [00:54:45] Speaker B: Probably a combination of my parents. I definitely have the more of the business mind. Like my mom, she really enjoyed owning a business and all the, you know, even the bookkeeping, you know, the kind of more tedious stuff. And you like that part? I do, yeah. No, I do. [00:54:59] Speaker A: I wish I had that. [00:55:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:55:02] Speaker A: To have a good skill, you have to have enjoyment in it. [00:55:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:55:05] Speaker A: And so you like details? [00:55:07] Speaker B: I do like details. So I get at picking things up. And then the more visual part, it probably comes from my dad, but I didn't know I would, you know, like I said, I wanted to. I didn't want to take over their gallery just because it was expected of me or it was. I couldn't think of anything better to do. So I really had to take my time. And they were, I guess, very patient. But, yeah, I left Camden when I graduated high school. And it's kind of a long story, but I ended up finishing. [00:55:37] Speaker A: Tell it all. We're here. [00:55:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I ended up. [00:55:40] Speaker A: Anything else? [00:55:41] Speaker B: Okay. I started college in the Midwest and really just the Midwest was not the right fit for me. I just missed the ocean, met some really awesome people, but I just could not see myself. I just did not enjoy being landlocked in the Midwest. And that is how I just felt. I just felt so landlocked. And the people I was meeting and really enjoying were. It felt like probably going to end up in Chicago or the Midwest. And I just thought, you know, this is not where I want to be. So I left school there and drove cross country with a friend and we went to San Diego, California. And then I started applying to schools for transferring and I ended up getting into UC Berkeley. So I moved up to Berkeley and finished school there. It's a little more complicated than that, but. [00:56:32] Speaker A: What'd you go to school for? [00:56:33] Speaker B: I have an English degree and then I applied for a master's program at usf, which is in San Francisco, and have a master's in writing. So I don't use my degrees, but. [00:56:46] Speaker A: Probably using more than you. [00:56:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, being able to write is. You're never going to be regret being able to write well or convey yourself. [00:56:56] Speaker A: On paper, I wish I had done that. I was a construction management. [00:56:59] Speaker B: Oh, that's actually sounds interesting. [00:57:01] Speaker A: And I got a few. Few minors and. But I actually really enjoyed surveying. [00:57:06] Speaker B: Like, all math. [00:57:08] Speaker A: I like being out in the woods and the boundary things. The law is actually. Which I don't like, love, you know, I'm not saying I'm a rebel. Like, I don't love laws, but the lawyer language and all the. But boundary law is really cool. It's really old. Most of it's super old. [00:57:24] Speaker B: You have to go to. Enjoy chatting with you about that. Well, because he's an engineer and does surveys and is constantly doing permits. [00:57:31] Speaker A: Engineer. Yeah. [00:57:32] Speaker B: And that kind of stuff. [00:57:33] Speaker A: Right. Cool. So anyway, you're at Berkeley. [00:57:36] Speaker B: Yeah. And then I stayed in California a bit longer to do the master's program and always enjoyed traveling as well through those years. But I always felt like Maine was kind of calling me back. But again, I just didn't want to move back too soon. I wanted to be really sure about my decision to move back to Maine, especially Camden, because it is a small town, and I wanted to make sure I would be. I mean, not that I couldn't have made a change again if I did that, but I really wanted it to feel right. And so I did wait until I felt like it did. And then, like I said, I think it was 2008. I moved back and started working toward taking over the gallery. Took a little longer than I think we originally thought because I ended up having my first child just a year later in 2009. And so starting my family, much like that was. I'm really glad it all happened the way it did, but that was like, you know, definitely. If I had made the timeline myself, it would have been more like. I don't know, like, as you can tell, I kind of like to organize. So it was just very much. [00:58:51] Speaker A: That's right. Yeah. Jeez. This wasn't the plan. [00:58:53] Speaker B: Yeah. But it worked out well. [00:58:55] Speaker A: I'm not. Wouldn't say I'm organized, but I am. Like, this is the plan. And then. Yeah, okay. This is different. Like, I can. But yeah, I'm like. I have to pause. Like, give me a minute here. [00:59:05] Speaker B: Yeah. And it all. It all worked out great. You know, my husband and I ended up having a second kid, and we're so happy to be raising our kids in Camden. [00:59:16] Speaker A: And where did you meet him? [00:59:17] Speaker B: Well, he's from Camden as well. [00:59:19] Speaker A: Okay. [00:59:19] Speaker B: Yeah. We didn't. We weren't together all those years, but we were friends for. We've Always been friends since he moved to Camden. So. So yeah. [00:59:28] Speaker A: When did you make the move? I guess. Or how did you this from California? [00:59:33] Speaker B: That was 2008. Yeah, I finished my master's program in 07. [00:59:37] Speaker A: You were ready at that point. [00:59:39] Speaker B: And then I waited a year, traveled, worked, and I even applied for jobs just to see if I found something. I really loved out there before, before moving back. But it really, like I said, I just always felt like Maine was so far away because it is from California. And you know, if I could, if I could make the map of the country, I'd put Maine and California right next to each other so they'd be easy to flow back and forth from coast to coast. But that's not how it works. Right. So, yeah. [01:00:09] Speaker A: So yeah, you came up. So the gallery. So I had thought when I first talked. So the gallery. Did you guys actually do a lot of framing there? [01:00:19] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a gallery. It still is a gallery in frame shop. [01:00:22] Speaker A: You called it a gallery first? [01:00:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I think we just always called it a gallery, but it is very much a frame shop too. [01:00:29] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, yeah. Now, what is the most important things about owning a gallery? Like, what's it like? [01:00:39] Speaker B: So owning a gallery is great because you're around art all day and talking about art all day and helping people find art that they're really excited about. And so that part's great. Framing is also awesome. It's a craft I really enjoy, still enjoy getting things framed because I think it's a pretty fun process. And the right frame can totally change a piece of art and it's protecting it too. But it is stressful because people are spending quite a bit of money and it's hard to make those decisions when you're only seeing like a corner of it. Right. So you do have to. I mean, I always enjoyed having framing customers and helping them, guiding them to what I think will be like the right decisions, knowing what they want. But it can be very stressful because so many times it's something personal. You know, people would become emotional in the frame shop. I can't even count the number of times really someone was bringing in something they had such an emotional attachment to for one reason or another, and it led to a moment of emotion or you're doing something that's very fun and people are often bringing in stuff from their travels. But it can be nerve wracking when something is truly a one of a kind. If something happened, you can't even put a price tag on it. It's sentimental and priceless But I mean, that said, like, with anything, you know, probably, like working in the er, you get used to that kind of risk and things will. [01:02:28] Speaker A: And that's why they come to you. [01:02:29] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [01:02:30] Speaker A: Like, this person's confident with the. [01:02:32] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So you don't really let that. But it's great that she thought of that at the time because she always does. Because it is a consideration that I think most people do not. Do not consider. [01:02:43] Speaker A: So did you actually do. Do the frames? [01:02:46] Speaker B: So I do know how to frame, but I would more often than not if I was doing any framing. It was pieces for the gallery. [01:02:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:02:56] Speaker B: Some more basics. We had a couple of framers that had lots of experience. [01:03:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:03:01] Speaker B: That could do the more elaborate or the more valuable or the more complicated pieces. [01:03:08] Speaker A: Must be hard to find those types of people. [01:03:10] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it really is a. It's very. Takes skill and, you know, it's something that you benefit from experience, too. It's hard to. It's like one of those industries where you don't know what you don't know until you start doing it. [01:03:24] Speaker A: Get into it. [01:03:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:03:26] Speaker A: What was your favorite part about owning the gallery and being a part of it? And. [01:03:32] Speaker B: Well, probably. I mean, some of what I like about once a tree, talking to people and I really enjoy. One thing about owning your own business is you can kind of. I mean, there's always so much to do. You're wearing so many hats that, you know, if I am planning my week, it's like, well, what. You know, you're like, what do I have to do? And then what am I, like, kind of in the mood to focus on, like, in my mood to sit. In the mood to sit at my computer and get some, like, tedious stuff out of the way, or am I in the mood to go down to the space and, like, tweak displays and be creative? So both. I really enjoy that about owning a business, especially one that has a visual aspect to it, I guess. And then I think it's really just the people I miss from the gallery. But luckily I'm not too hard to find. Up at once a tree. Same town. So. [01:04:26] Speaker A: Right. [01:04:27] Speaker B: So I don't feel like I've totally lost connection. [01:04:29] Speaker A: Right. Right. So what? We probably. Probably already talked about it some, but is there any other, like, what's the biggest challenges from owning a gallery? Is it the same as any. Owning anything, or is it, you know. [01:04:42] Speaker B: Unlike some products maybe that we sell at one street, it is, you know, why does one artist get a certain price for Their artwork when it's the exact same size, the same medium, the same image, sometimes as another artist. So it can be hard to. You definitely get people at a gallery coming through the door that don't think that will challenge the values of things. And you don't always have to give those people justification. But if you want to, you know, it can be hard to. There's a lot to art. Like, I mean, it really is true. Like, why does something hold more value than something else? And, like, is it. There's a lot that goes into it, so that can be hard sometimes. I mean, I sometimes like once a tree. Because it's like, I think there's pretty good. Like, there's a reason why something costs what it costs. [01:05:46] Speaker A: Right. [01:05:46] Speaker B: Without that kind of, like, vague. Yeah, without some of that vague, like, well, this person has a reputation. [01:05:53] Speaker A: Well, that's the thing. It's basically like kind of their brand. [01:05:58] Speaker B: And their name, building up their signature and all their years of skill. Make this particular painting $1,000. [01:06:07] Speaker A: Yeah, that's that. What was the key in the gallery? Was it finding getting the right artist? So was it. Usually an artist would have some things there, and then you sell that and pay the artist, or you'd buy the art and then sell it. How did that ending usually work? [01:06:25] Speaker B: Yeah, the gallery was a mix of consignment and wholesale. More so than once a tree. Once a tree. We have a few consignment people, but not many. [01:06:37] Speaker A: Yeah, we don't do. Yeah, we have a hard time. Consignment is just like book admin wise. It's just so hard. [01:06:43] Speaker B: It can be tedious for everybody. Yeah. [01:06:45] Speaker A: So we just. We just finally. We just. We just don't do that. [01:06:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:49] Speaker A: You know, we want it to be just as hard for the other person as it is. [01:06:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Totally keeping track. [01:06:53] Speaker A: But I know galleries can be more of that. That's why, you know, that's why it has. [01:06:58] Speaker B: Well, because if something doesn't sell, you know, an original piece of art. The nice thing about consignment is it could be a beautiful painting. It's just not the right gallery for it. And so that gives the artist the freedom to say, like, hey, you had this piece for summer of 2024. It didn't sell. I think it's gonna be great in Booth Bay next year. And then your clientele is seeing something different. We would almost never. If an original didn't sell after one season, it was time to trade it out, really. [01:07:29] Speaker A: Okay. [01:07:29] Speaker B: Prints you can show from year to year, but you Would want a fresh selection of originals. [01:07:34] Speaker A: Yeah. What inspires you now? You know, like to keep doing what you're doing and where you get your passion, like your, you know, what's your why for showing up? [01:07:44] Speaker B: I really enjoy working with my staff, so that's a why for showing up. And I enjoy the customers obviously too. And then I like just continuing to tweak the store. I love that it's already a great store, but I loved continuing to think how we can make it better. And then the web, you know, this winter I'm hoping to revamp the website a bit because I think it could be freshened up. And so I'm kind of looking forward to that and already starting to think about that. So. Yeah. And I mean, I do feel like, you know, in a bigger picture, I want, I care about how Camden, you know, the. How Camden is perceived as a town. And so I like contributing to, I hope, what is a positive perception of Camden as a whole. So I like to be somewhere that people can rely on. You know, we're a year round business seven days a week. And we honestly are proud to tell. [01:08:43] Speaker A: People that that's, that's huge and small town Maine. [01:08:47] Speaker B: Yeah, we like to be contributing to the, to the vibrancy of our town all year. Yeah, I guess those are my. [01:08:54] Speaker A: Why that's really neat. Yeah. So what do you think when people come to Camden, what do they, what do they love about it? [01:09:02] Speaker B: Well, I think it's. I mean, it's so beautiful. [01:09:05] Speaker A: Yes. [01:09:05] Speaker B: The mountains and where the mountains meet the sea. [01:09:07] Speaker A: It is really. [01:09:08] Speaker B: And I think people think it's so very picturesque and I think people think it's charming and friendly and hopefully they're doing more than just scratching the surface. Yeah. Hopefully they're getting out and like realizing how much they can do when they're in Camden. Like hikes and sales and seeing the cows and seeing the lake. So hopefully they're getting a feel for the whole piece. [01:09:41] Speaker A: Is that kind of what you hear the most in the store? Somebody. Oh, geez. You know, I just love. [01:09:45] Speaker B: Because we often hear that people wish they had more time. Like maybe they're just passing through and you know, we're always like, well come back, you know. [01:09:53] Speaker A: Right. That's what we're here for. [01:09:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:09:56] Speaker A: Yeah. I do remember you. You guys do some trips as a family or whatever. What's your favorite kind of main adventure you guys have been on so far? [01:10:03] Speaker B: Oh, main adventure. Well, my older son and I hiked Katahdin two summers ago and we actually Want to do it again next summer? You have to really plan ahead if you want to camp in the park. [01:10:14] Speaker A: Did you camp? [01:10:15] Speaker B: We did at Chimney Pond, which is you hike in to Chimney Pond, three and a half miles and then go up. But you really have to plan ahead. I tried to pull something together more last minute this summer and it did not work. And so I'm kind of excited to do that again. That was super memorable with him. I had done it before, but it had been years. And then my younger son loves to go down to Old Orchard Beach. [01:10:40] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [01:10:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Which we kind of. I kind of feel like I'm on vacation there and it's only like, you know, an hour and 45 minutes away. [01:10:48] Speaker A: Right. [01:10:48] Speaker B: But I can kind of get into, you know, for one night, get into that like, vacation vibe. [01:10:55] Speaker A: Right. [01:10:55] Speaker B: And then we love going out on the ocean. There's like. I think the perfect day for me is going out to an island, hopping off and treasure hunting and just walking around the island and picnicking. [01:11:09] Speaker A: Do you guys have a boat? [01:11:10] Speaker B: We do, yeah. [01:11:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Cool. So I want to ask you your favorite islands. I'll leave those. So treasure hunting, is that just like. Yeah, yeah. [01:11:19] Speaker B: Stones. [01:11:20] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. When you have the boat, you have the good access. Yeah, yeah, same things. I remember one time we went to Vinyl Haven on the ferry. [01:11:26] Speaker B: Oh, that's fun too. Taking the ferry. [01:11:28] Speaker A: Yeah. And I can just remember like coming back and I was carrying him those bags. I'm like, what do you have in here? Rocks. [01:11:35] Speaker B: Yes. [01:11:35] Speaker A: Yeah, he did. Yeah. Rocks in there. Like, oh, man. You know, my kids are always bring home. Yeah. Rocks and sticks. But yeah. So one question I love to ask everybody too is can you like just take a second and think of like, it could be something from your store. Probably is. But you know, like your favorite household item, something you use every day could be some old, you know, think passed down or whatever. Just something you use every day that you just really love. You look forward to using it. You know, you're just like, yes. Like, I love this item. [01:12:16] Speaker B: So I actually was. I did think ahead on this question because I heard you ask. [01:12:20] Speaker A: Okay, great. Yeah. [01:12:21] Speaker B: But I missed the everyday part, so I. I gave it a little. [01:12:24] Speaker A: It doesn't. You don't have to be every day anything. [01:12:26] Speaker B: Well, so I wanted to tell you that I. Before I even knew I was going to buy the store. Bernice, the old owner, was at my bridal shower and she gave us an absolutely gorgeous ambrosia maple salad bowl. It's big and so it's not every day. Because when you make it, you know, make a salad, and it's a big salad, but I just got it out. My parents came over for dinner last week, and so I'm like one of those people that, like, we also have, like a nice china set. And I will any excuse. Give me any excuse, and I will. [01:12:59] Speaker A: You love. [01:12:59] Speaker B: Look forward to that. Yeah. So any even slightly special occasion. And I'm getting that stuff out. And so the salad bowl, I love getting it out of the cabinet because. Well, first of all, I love that it's a big, beautiful bowl that I wouldn't have bought myself because some of those bowls are expensive. But I think of Bernice when I use it. I think of where I was in my life not knowing that I would end up owning the store it came from. And it's a beautiful, beautiful wood. And then so I just really enjoy. I enjoy when we're done using it, washing it, drying it, putting it away. So I don't know if it's like my favorite item in our house, but I just thought that was. I think that's great. And then with, you know, my boys, I love showing them that, like, you know, when people. My parents come over for dinner, even though I see my parents all the time, like, we light candles and, you know, kind of make it a little special just because we're not like a formal family. But, you know, taking those times, like, just at home together, I think is really important. And I want them to look back and be like, mom was not afraid to take out the nice china, even though we were, you know, like, rambunctious. [01:14:13] Speaker A: Yeah. Tradition. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's great. I find when people answer those questions, it's always like a story of, like, other people involved. [01:14:22] Speaker B: Right. [01:14:23] Speaker A: And it functions really well. It's just special. [01:14:28] Speaker B: And this bowl does. It looks as good now as it did when she gave it to us. And so I love thinking about the fact that at my store every day people are shopping for those kind of things. And 15 years from now, someone's going to be feeling what I feel when they use it. [01:14:43] Speaker A: That's great. Well, thanks for everything, Liz. Yeah, thank you. Speaking of that. So where can people find once a tree and everything? Yeah. How can they reach out all those good things? [01:14:54] Speaker B: So we are at 31 Main street in Camden. Like I said, we're year round, seven days a week. We also have a website that's [email protected]. we're on Instagram and Facebook and then we're always super helpful if people email or call us too. If a lot of times we'll field calls. That was like, we saw this item in your store this summer, like, and they, you know, are vague on a couple details and we hone right into it for them. So. [01:15:21] Speaker A: So will you. Can they buy that over the phone or go to your website and then you ship it to them? [01:15:25] Speaker B: Yep. [01:15:25] Speaker A: Gift wrapped and all that. [01:15:26] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah, we ship almost every day things out and we are always happy to ship directly to a gift recipient, recipient of a gift. Or we can ship it to you gift wrapped, ready to give. [01:15:40] Speaker A: Right. Or I'm sure when people come in the store and say, hey, I'm on vacation, can you ship this? [01:15:46] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. That's most of our shipping. [01:15:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Well, that's great. Thank you so much. [01:15:51] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you so much. [01:15:52] Speaker A: Yeah, we really appreciate you having you and. And I can't wait to go back to once tree again. [01:15:57] Speaker B: All right. Yeah, we'll see you soon. [01:15:58] Speaker A: All right, thanks. Bye.