[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Slow Goods podcast, where we love to talk all about Maine quality craftsmanship and timeless design and how these three things often intersect. Along the way, we'll hear some inspiring and authentic stories, and if we have ears to hear, gain some wisdom as well. I'm your host, Logan Ratcliffe, and today I'm joined by founder and curator of Fitz and Bennett home, Lauren Savisky. Savisky. When Lauren and founded Fitz and Bennett, she wanted a way to offer affordable and quality home products that were also a piece of this special place here in Maine. Well, welcome to the show, Lawrence, for having me. Thanks so much for coming.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Yeah, no, it's fun.
[00:00:37] Speaker A: I know we had some contact over the years, off and on, and so good to have you here.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: Well, I remember the first time I ever met you was at K Colette. You walked in with, like, an arms full of mats, and you were like, we make these and we want to sell them to you.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:00:55] Speaker B: Like, okay, let's work it out. And we did. And that was awesome.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: Perfect.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: That was like, what, almost ten years?
[00:01:00] Speaker A: We never met at a trade show before that.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: No, I think then you guys started doing trade show, or maybe you had.
[00:01:05] Speaker A: Done some man, I just walked in.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: I think you did.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Yeah, a lot of that.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: No, that was good. Yeah. That's the worst.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: It is.
It's the best. But it's also nerve wracking just to introduce you a little bit. But tell us a little bit more about yourself.
Where you started, how you got to where you are today. What makes Lauren Lauren?
[00:01:29] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm not a native Maynard. I'm from away. But I've been here for almost 15 years. And I'm married, a Maynard, and we have kids here. So I feel like maybe as their own, maybe you're accepted. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that.
Yeah. So I grew up in Connecticut, went to school in Rhode island, and then had a friend up here who I went to school for textiles, merchandising, and design. So I've always been very into textiles and design and was super into fashion. Always loved interior design. I was always, like, moving my room around and driving my Parents insane. And can we paint this wall? And I need 25 pillows for my bed. And really all that annoying stuff that kids do. Maybe not every kid. Yeah, I knew I wanted to do that and then moved up here kind of on a whim and started working for an interior designer in town, and then was there for a couple of years and then ended up at K Colette, which was this home decor store down on commercial street. That was kind of like this magical moment in time. I feel like people still come in in tears because they're so sad that it's gone. And it was just a special place.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: It was rare.
[00:02:42] Speaker B: Yeah, it was rare. We had a lot of really high end lines that you don't find everywhere. And I was lucky enough to get it in at the ground floor. And Karen and I would go buying together, which was great. So I got to go to Paris three times.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: What did you guys do there? Was it just.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: There's, like, a huge trade show there, right?
[00:03:00] Speaker A: There's the trade show. So it was just finding more lines.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Finding.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: No antiquing, I guess, is what.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: No antiquing? No. We would always look and toyed with getting a container and doing all that. But, I mean, it's a lot. It's a lot. Yeah. So we got to do that. Got to travel, go to New York, do the whole thing. Really did the trade show stuff a lot, which was a lot of fun.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: It seemed like you were, like, her right hand person or protege or. I don't know.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: Yeah, we had a great relationship. She's an awesome woman, and it was a lot of fun. But I kind of realized at one point that I kind of had gotten as far as I could go there, and maybe I wanted to have my own thing or do something else, know, just switch it, so.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: So I left, and then they ended up closing not that long after. Not that it was me. It was just a bunch of other things, and I don't want to give myself that much credit.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: I just remember talking to Karen at the trade show. I want to speak for her, but I think she was just time to be just.
[00:03:57] Speaker B: Yeah, she was just a long.
She really. Yeah, it ran its course, and it was awesome.
Yeah. Things don't have to last forever, which I think is a good thing to keep in mind. You don't have to do the same thing forever. Hang on for anybody else if you don't want to.
[00:04:14] Speaker A: Right.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: So I was able to open my own store, which was kind of crazy and, like, a pipe dream.
[00:04:20] Speaker A: That's really cool.
[00:04:21] Speaker B: Yeah. And it worked out. I was six months pregnant with Greta when I opened the store, which was six years ago today.
[00:04:28] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: Congratulations.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: I have my shop birthday in my calendar, and I was like, wow, six years.
So we opened, and. Yeah, I don't know. It was an interesting change of pace. Like, I thought a lot of the lines that did well at Cakellette would work for my store, but they didn't it was just a different environment, different feel, and I really did want to focus on finding affordable things. I didn't want anyone to feel like they couldn't even walk in the store because everything was too expensive or out of reach or too precious. I wanted it to be very accessible and a friendly place. Not that cakelet wasn't friendly, but just a little more approachable, I guess.
[00:05:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel like I definitely see that and feel that, especially with maybe your colors.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I know. Yeah.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: Very warm.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: They're warm. Yeah, they're bright and kind of fun. And like you said in your intro. What? Like kitchen kitchen craft. Kitchen craft.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll get more into that. You've just said so much. I'm trying not.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Okay, I'll shut up if you want.
[00:05:26] Speaker A: No, keep talking. No, I'm not saying. Yeah, keep going with your story.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: Yeah, I guess that's my story. So that was six years ago, and then we've just had to close for a little bit during COVID which was so scary, I mean, for everybody, but feels more normal now. We're out of it. I felt like that was actually a huge boost in business because people were really coming out for the businesses that they loved and they didn't want to see go away. So I felt like we were so supported.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: That's cool.
[00:05:52] Speaker B: And it helped us sustain.
So we're happy to be here. That's my story.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: Your story is great. You got way more to story than that. So tell me a little bit.
You grew up on the coast of Connecticut?
[00:06:07] Speaker B: Yeah. In this little village called Niantic. So I guess the nearest town that people would recognize would be mystic area.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:16] Speaker B: Yeah. Like the seaport. My parents still live in Niantic.
[00:06:19] Speaker A: Yeah, we sell the mystic networks.
[00:06:21] Speaker B: Oh, you. Awesome.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: He's a cool guy.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: Do you sell to Azalea, too?
[00:06:24] Speaker A: No.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: Okay. She's in Niantic. She has a really cute shop. I feel like that might be a good fit for you guys.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:30] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: Good to know.
And then you came up, you were just, like, naturally a designer, and you liked making your room pretty, and.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like I always had that entrepreneurial spirit, too, because I remember making these little pouches out of remnant fabrics and selling them at the beach craft show.
[00:06:52] Speaker A: Like, how old were you when you.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: I was probably, like, 16 or 17. I don't know. Kind of dorky, I guess.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: How's that dorky?
[00:07:03] Speaker B: I don't know. So then I still will go home, and there will be people who are like, I have my pouch and they show it to me, and they are like, this is the best. I'm like, thank you for hanging on to that silly thing for that long, but I don't know. Always did stuff like that. I just always had the drive to do my own thing, I guess. I just didn't want anyone to be my boss. I wanted to be my own boss, I guess.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:07:23] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Yeah. So you go to this show, you make this thing, and people bought some of it?
[00:07:29] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: What did that feel like?
[00:07:32] Speaker B: It's, like, addicting, you know what I mean? You're like, oh, my gosh, I can make money and sell these things. And you're kind of, like, more and more and more. A little bit.
[00:07:41] Speaker A: You actually took, like, I don't know if it was leather or whatever. And you sewed it?
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Yeah. It was just cotton fabric, and I did, like, an accent ribbon. I worked for a tailor growing up, when I was younger, so I worked at a tailor shop in town and would do alterations on, I mean, everything from, like, business suits taking jackets, to wedding dress heavy.
[00:08:01] Speaker A: You got skills, then.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: Yeah, all that stuff. I made my prom dress senior year, all that kind of thing. So that was. Yeah, I don't know, the sewing I was can. I can use my skills to make something and sell it and go from there.
[00:08:14] Speaker A: So what was the school you went to?
[00:08:16] Speaker B: I went to University of Rhode island, and it was the textiles, merchandising, and design program there.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: That's neat. They even had one.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I know.
[00:08:25] Speaker A: Maybe humane has one. That's where I went.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: I know. I wonder.
There was not a program like that in Connecticut, so I had to go out of. Yeah, yeah. Which was fine. And Rhode island is beautiful. Like, know, we got to live in a beach house with a bunch of friends during the school.
Yeah. So it was like a really special place. Yeah. I love that.
[00:08:47] Speaker A: So you did your tenure there, which has been great. Your focus has been solid.
[00:08:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it has.
[00:08:55] Speaker A: I mean, that's rare.
[00:08:56] Speaker B: That's so cool.
[00:08:58] Speaker A: I think I'm most fascinated by that. Just right off the bat, you're decorating your room, and this is what I'm doing.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: I've always been into. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like making a space is, like, such an important thing. I don't know. It changes the whole mood in the room. You know what I mean? Like, the colors and just the feel of it. I don't know. It's always been, you want to make your own little haven. You want it to be comfortable for yourself. You want to be cozy and. I don't know. I don't know. Just a kind of way to escape in your own little space.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: I think you're describing it very well. We were talking about at the rope company, like, our three customers, the designers or retailers, and then direct consumers and thinking about designers specifically, what are they doing, right? And I'm like, I feel like I got the words out. I was like, they are creating feelings, basically. I mean, it's beautiful, but it could be. This is just a very peaceful room. And this one's cozy, and this one's whatever. And now, especially, they went big for a while, designing homes. Like, big space, which is cool. But now we're getting back. We're going small again. There's a reason we had small rooms at the.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: No kidding.
[00:10:13] Speaker A: Maybe anything in between. So you're like, I'm here in this space doing this thing.
[00:10:16] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I think that's important.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: That just popped up in my head.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that was really good. I like that.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: Making feelings, but, yeah. So you went to college, and then you came out, and then you went right to Maine.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: No. So I was living in Newport, Rhode island, for a while, working at a baby boutique, like a high end baby boutique, which was really fun. I've always worked in retail, too, like, on the side apparel or. The baby boutique was really, like, so happy and just so fun to do that. And Newport's a really special place. I don't know if you've spent much time in Newport.
[00:10:50] Speaker A: I haven't spent a lot of time. Just a couple times on sales and things like that. But there's Newport and what's the providence? Yeah. So I've spent more time in Newport.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Just with a couple of our accounts there. And they're really special.
[00:11:03] Speaker B: Yeah, it's kind of like Portland, but much smaller, you know? What mean, like. And. And I guess more like, if you can get more nautical than, you know, I mean, a little more preppy and whatever, which is cool, but, yeah, really fun little place to be. And then left Newport. I just felt know. All right, I've had enough of this. What's my next move? And I actually came to visit a friend who was going to grad school up here, went to a concert. We saw Ray la Montaigne.
[00:11:30] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: It was nine, probably.
And then I was like, wow, I really like Maine. I mean, growing up, I thought, like, what's up there? It's so cold, but it's not. It's not that much different than Connecticut, really, weather wise.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: Especially if you're on the coast.
[00:11:46] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's so magical. It's like you can be to the beach in ten minutes, you can be in the mountains in 25 minutes. You can ski, you can bike, you can hike, you can do everything. Like, there's so much going on.
And, I mean, Portland has changed a lot since I've been here.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Even you know, more than I do.
[00:12:03] Speaker B: Right. But it was cool when I came, and it's cool now, and I feel like it's got to keep getting cool.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: I don't know how much cooler. Stay cool forever.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: So you're like, I want to move to.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: Yes. And it's the very most unlorn thing I've ever done, honestly. I called my friend who were best friends from childhood. She was going to une, and I came up to visit. And then two weeks later, I was like, hey, I think I'm going to move to Portland. Is that cool? Because she was looking for a roommate. She was trying to find a place. I was like, I'm going to just come up there. And she was like, okay. Are you sure? I was like, yeah, I'm sure. Let's just do. So cool. Yeah. So I moved up and we rented a place in the west end. And, yeah, I don't know. We just did that. And then eventually I met my husband. We moved out and this and that, but we're still really close, and she lives.
[00:12:53] Speaker A: But you had to come up here and support yourself, right?
[00:12:55] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: What did you do?
[00:12:57] Speaker B: What did I do? I worked for interior designer in town, kind of as a design assistant.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: Okay, so what does that mean?
[00:13:05] Speaker B: It's like keeping the resource library organized, which is, like, not fun.
[00:13:10] Speaker A: What is the resource library?
[00:13:12] Speaker B: It's like fabric samples, countertop samples, tiles.
[00:13:15] Speaker A: Like color samples from your vendors.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: All the samples from the vendors. Yeah. Dealing with the reps that come in to give you new stuff.
And then the most fun, I think, was, like, installing install days. So we would be at these gorgeous homes, and you're just like, making the house, making the beds, putting everything together, filling the cabinets, filling the bookshelves, and making the space, which is like, the most fun.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:13:41] Speaker B: And I met some of my great friends doing that, too, which was awesome.
So that was really fun. But interior designers, sometimes they're hard to work for. I guess when one creative is working for another, I think that maybe that's it.
[00:14:01] Speaker A: I'm not a natural creator, but now I'm around a lot of creators all the time. My wife's a creator, but I am idealistic and stubborn.
Creative and creative. There's got to be one person making the calls. They have this taste and vision and style, and they are essentially an artist. Right. So it's just like they're trying to paint this picture and with somebody else's thoughts, it's like, no, that's how it works.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Yeah. So, I mean, it was great. I learned a lot and had a lot of really fun experiences and got to be in a lot of really gorgeous homes that I would never be in, setting tables with $500, like bachelor gold wine glasses and just ridiculously extravagant. But I left there and then was kind of just surfing around, looking for something else. I kind of left very quickly.
And then the opportunity at K Colette came up and it was perfect. I mean, I was kind of sick of working in retail. I didn't.
[00:15:08] Speaker A: That was just a job posting you saw.
[00:15:10] Speaker B: No, I got it.
Flett. She. I knew her. I don't even know how I knew.
[00:15:17] Speaker A: Her from probably through the interior design world.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: Yes, actually. Yes. Thank you. That's how I did. She said to me, like, Lauren, I think this would be a really good position for you. And she hooked me up with the owners at the time.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: She probably sold.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. They were meeting with her to do custom, a lot of custom pillows, which was cool. So she put me in touch with them and then it just worked out from there. But I was kind of like, I don't want to go into retail again. I was kind of just burnt out from it because it's exhausting.
But here I am. I'm still in retail all this time later.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: You started a store.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: I guess. Yeah.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: But you can have different experiences in every different place.
[00:15:55] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. It's what you make it, too.
[00:15:58] Speaker A: Yeah, really? And it's about the people around you and their attitudes towards everything.
Yeah, it can be whatever you want to make it.
So what was your first? Kind of. How many people are at Caicola?
[00:16:13] Speaker B: Gosh, I feel like maybe like twelve to 15 at one point. Yeah. I mean, we had like. Do you remember Megan Boltz? We had like an on staff photographer. Yeah. Okay. So we started pretty small, and then we eventually took an office space upstairs where the photographer, graphic designer. I had an office up there. Karen had an office. And then we had all the girls on the floor, on the sales floor, a lot of, you know, but wonderful woman who I'm still in touch with today because they were all mostly long term.
So, yeah, I mean, it grew to be a pretty big operation. Everything was photographed.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:16:53] Speaker B: Everything was beautiful. Beautifully done. And we were doing that artist series where we would go interview artists, which was very cool. And I feel, like, almost ahead of its time. It was kind of the start of when people were starting.
[00:17:06] Speaker A: Yeah, people do a lot of that now. I guess we're kind of doing that here now.
[00:17:09] Speaker B: Right, but, yeah.
[00:17:09] Speaker A: Noet. Yeah, that wasn't much of that going on then.
[00:17:12] Speaker B: Yeah. So it was fun.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I guess. Yeah. What was your starting spot and kind of where you always have the same kind of. Did you progress in there at all?
[00:17:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, she hired me to kind of be, like a store manager, kind of like a general manager, oversee everything. So I was spending some time on the sales floor. I was merchandising a lot. I mean, like, putting displays together, but I mean also, like, receiving purchase orders, merchandise, a small business. You do everything. Yeah. And Karen, the owner, had never been in retail before. She was more like she was in education prior to. She just had this love of really beautiful things and wanted to create a space like that in Portland. So it was kind of like, I kind of knew what I was doing, but she had the vision, and I was like, okay, I can help you with your vision. Sure. I mean, I was like, I'm kind of that kind of person where I'm like, yeah, we can do that. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Like, you kind of fake it till you make it, I guess.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: Yeah. You definitely got to put things in motion. You can only have things, so, I mean, you can plan. Plan is important. You should start doing.
[00:18:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And I also am like, my husband always says I'm such a faster, but I'm like, it doesn't have to be perfect. You just have to get it going to get it started, and then you can fine tune from there. But he's very pragmatic and everything precise in this. I'm just like, everybody's, come on, hurry up. Let's just do this. It's time. I don't know.
[00:18:37] Speaker A: Definitely.
[00:18:37] Speaker B: It's different.
[00:18:38] Speaker A: So, yeah, that must have been about the. If you were the store kind of manager, that's probably what you were all the way through. How long were you there? I forget.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: I was there for.
I guess I was there from 2012 to 2016. Four years.
[00:18:55] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:55] Speaker B: Yeah, probably four years, because I opened in 2017, my store. Okay. Yeah. So I started as a manager, and then kind of. Karen was like, well, I need somebody to come. I don't want to go buy alone. And you have the textile background, so come with me, and we'll start doing this together. And I was like, you want me to go to Paris? Are you kidding me? I was like of like, how could I ever say no to.
Yeah. So that was amazing. Like such an experience.
[00:19:21] Speaker A: Yeah. What was your kind of favorite part of that whole, I think the travel.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: And just, I don't know. I guess meeting people, like, at trade shows, just having conversations with other creatives. And I love to know the stories behind things. Like you. I'm always interested again, my husband always says it's like the spanish inquisitions, like 50 questions immediately off the bat. You have to know everything, right? I'm like, I don't know. I'm just interested in people and how they do things and how you got where you are and it's all part of the story.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: I probably get too deep on people too quick. I'm like, asking them.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: Relate to people, too. It's like how you reform.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: Just curious. I just want to know you.
[00:20:04] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:20:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Some people are quite, I mean, everybody's just different, that's all. And that's great.
So your favorite thing was traveling and meeting the people. And I do agree.
I thought when we got into what we're doing, trade shows is going to be, oh, I'm like traveling and exploring and doing it. But there is a lot of great, too. But it's a lot of hard work.
[00:20:33] Speaker B: A lot hard work.
[00:20:33] Speaker A: I mean, it's exhausted. I thought I was going to go see whatever.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: Oh, sightsee. No.
[00:20:38] Speaker A: Or do something. I don't know what I was thinking, but there was none of that.
[00:20:42] Speaker B: Well, we had the easy job, like walking around. We get to pick what we like, look at beautiful things.
[00:20:46] Speaker A: That's so.
Yeah, but meeting the people is awesome.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: And, yeah. Just being able to really talk, see things in person, talk to people.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: But selling your product is really hard, too. All day long. I mean, you're there from 09:00 a.m. To 06:00 p.m.. Right. You have to be on mostly. You're standing the entire day. Some shows are better than others. Are you guys still doing shows?
[00:21:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:10] Speaker B: You are?
[00:21:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:11] Speaker B: Do you do shop or do you do.
[00:21:12] Speaker A: We did shop.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: Yeah. Are you doing it again?
[00:21:15] Speaker A: Atlanta.
[00:21:16] Speaker B: Oh, in Atlanta, you did it.
[00:21:18] Speaker A: No, the Atlanta America smart. Yeah, we just did shop one time. Everybody said this time it was slower than it had been.
[00:21:26] Speaker B: Yes, that's what I heard.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: All of that, which I think everything is just a little slower than it has been.
[00:21:30] Speaker B: Weird time. Yeah.
[00:21:32] Speaker A: But, yeah, I mean, they all have their niche or their unique spots. You got to find the ones that fit you. I don't know if we'll go back or not. I haven't made that decision.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: But I feel like the days of New York now, like, when you guys started doing shows.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: Yeah. From what we were told, we got into shows basically at the end of the heyday, they'd already been. Yeah. Everybody came to shows to write orders. Yes. And that's where you got your orders for the year.
[00:21:58] Speaker B: Right.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: So you better be walking out with a lot of everything. Internet was taking over New York now. That was intense. I don't know if you remember that, but we got there, and it was three big buildings. They had just gotten rid of the piers pretty big.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:22:18] Speaker A: And those buildings were full. And then, I swear, the next year, one of the buildings wasn't full, and then the next year, another building, it.
[00:22:26] Speaker B: Was, like, very fast decline. Yeah.
[00:22:28] Speaker A: And then the main building wasn't full.
[00:22:31] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:33] Speaker A: And then they combined two or three shows, and it couldn't even be.
[00:22:35] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:36] Speaker A: The station, it was just like. Yeah, I don't understand that.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Yeah. With the Internet and you can sell your things online. You can make all your money.
They were charging an insane amount for that.
[00:22:49] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a lot of money.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's like, you can make that money by having your own website.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: But we all would have kept going there. I think a lot of people. But the buyers are the ones that slowed up. If the buyer is going to show up and place orders, great. I think there's a lot of value in that, even though it's a lot of time and effort and money to see things in person.
[00:23:09] Speaker B: No, I think it's worth it.
[00:23:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Obviously, I wish they were cheaper, but a lot of times they go where it's hard. Especially, like, New York was the, New York was, like letting everybody in if they had a business card and people were personally shopping there. And that was a problem. And that drove buyers and exhibitors. I think that was a big reason a lot of people left. And it was getting insanely expensive.
[00:23:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:34] Speaker A: So that was hard.
So I was going to ask you, too. What were some of your favorite parts at school?
You were a tailor. What did you learn? What was your favorite part about being a tailor?
[00:23:50] Speaker B: Again? I guess I could go back to the people. Seriously, just, like meeting people. What's your outfit for?
Just learning the story behind what they were in for, I guess.
Yeah. I mean, I can't say, like, hemming pants is like a very exciting thing.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:08] Speaker B: But, I mean, it's a good skill to have.
[00:24:11] Speaker A: I love your skill set for what you're doing.
It sounds like you've done a little bit everything of what you need to know.
[00:24:17] Speaker B: Yeah. It's fun working with different fabrics. Just different, again, to the fashion piece, like seeing what labels were coming through and how they're constructed. Like Armani suit compared to a men's warehouse suit. That part of it has always been very interesting to me, too. And the quality of fabrics and how they react to heat, which is kind of like the nerdy science part of it. All right, that's cool. Yeah.
[00:24:43] Speaker A: It's interesting to know it all.
[00:24:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:45] Speaker A: Every time you say the people. We had some training on personality. Have you ever heard of disc personality? No, I think it's mostly around communication styles, but there's di s c.
So you're definitely yellow eye, so very people oriented. And it's more extrovert.
[00:25:09] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:25:10] Speaker A: And doesn't have to necessarily be details or anything like that.
[00:25:15] Speaker B: Right.
[00:25:15] Speaker A: It's very. Just like feeling good. Let's go.
[00:25:18] Speaker B: I love it.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Have people around that role. Yeah.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: Okay, cool. So I don't have to take the quiz now. You just told me what I am.
[00:25:23] Speaker A: You're an eye all day. Yeah. My mom is, too. I'm a hard d.
It was just cool. Every time I ask you something, it's about the people.
[00:25:35] Speaker B: That's so funny. Interesting.
[00:25:37] Speaker A: I mean, whatever. There's a million personalities, different things. But I think we love taking them as a team.
[00:25:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:43] Speaker A: And learning more about each other and learning about yourself a little bit more, I guess. Or it's just like, okay, hopefully you're saying, yeah, I guess that is me.
[00:25:51] Speaker B: I know. How many people do you have?
[00:25:52] Speaker A: It's just five of us.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:25:54] Speaker A: Yeah, it's great.
[00:25:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: But, yeah, I was just thinking about that.
[00:25:59] Speaker B: That's really funny. I'll take it and I'll report back. I'm sure you're right.
[00:26:03] Speaker A: Yeah. There's tons of free ones online. Yeah, of course there's ones you could pay for that seem, but we're not.
[00:26:08] Speaker B: Going to do that.
[00:26:08] Speaker A: They always end up being the same.
[00:26:10] Speaker B: They're free, available.
[00:26:11] Speaker A: Yeah. So, yeah, I think you talked a little bit about why you started Fitz and Bennett. So can you tell? Just get into that a little bit more like you wanted to be an entrepreneur.
[00:26:27] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:26:28] Speaker A: Right. For sure. You want to do your own thing, but, yeah, tell me a little bit more like your vision and how that happened, too. I mean, to take all that on, just on the practicality side of things.
[00:26:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I guess I love the entrepreneurial aspect. Like you said, I love the people. So there was a time where I was like, do I start a collaborative of main makers or, like, small makers? Kind of like, remember aesthetic movement back in the day when they just had, like, it wasn't as massive as they are now, but they had a couple of cool, really cool lines that they repped.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:27:01] Speaker B: And it was very curated.
So you got a certain feel when you went to their showroom or their booth or whatever, and it was kind of like shopping at a store that was already curated for you.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:27:13] Speaker B: So I was like, maybe I try and bring all these brands together and do something like that, but what does that really look like?
And then I'm taking another cut of your money that you could be making. And that doesn't seem fair.
[00:27:24] Speaker A: You mean basically just signing up for the aesthetic movements line, sort of doing.
[00:27:29] Speaker B: That kind of thing? Basically, yeah, sure. And that's the other part of the wholesale side of things where I'm not a huge fan of reps, which is everybody knows listening.
[00:27:39] Speaker A: Aesthetic movements is a rep group.
[00:27:40] Speaker B: Is a rep group. Yes.
They sell for smaller brands who might not have the exposure.
[00:27:47] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: And they cover a certain geological area or whatever.
[00:27:52] Speaker A: Yeah, they're national.
They have a rep in each area territory. If you sign up with aesthetic movements, you have everything covered.
[00:28:01] Speaker B: Exactly. Which is very cool and appealing for small brands. I'm sure.
[00:28:06] Speaker A: All this stuff has its pros and its cons.
[00:28:08] Speaker B: It does, yeah. But again, with the Internet so hot and Instagram, there's so many ways for small makers to get out there on their own. So that kind of thing kind of seemed like maybe it was fading away. So I guess with my skills, I know how to run a store. Like, I have tons of retail experience. I know how to do these things. Like, okay, maybe I should do it. And my husband really pushed me to just go for it, which was awesome.
[00:28:29] Speaker A: What's his name?
[00:28:30] Speaker B: Nick.
[00:28:30] Speaker A: Nick.
[00:28:31] Speaker B: Yeah. He's amazing. He's the reason I have this store. Honestly, he was like, good work. Figure it out. Yeah, he did a good job. He's like, let's figure it out. And then it's like, oh, my God, so much money that you need to. Where is this money going to come from?
[00:28:43] Speaker A: Well, that's what I was.
[00:28:46] Speaker B: We didn't have any kids then. Well, we had one on the way, but for a long time, it was like, is this going to happen? Is this not going to happen? It's never the right time to do something again, back to that person that do it, but it always is. So we kind of just went around to a couple of banks and said, like, okay, here's our vision. Yeah, here's our vision. I had to write a business plan.
[00:29:08] Speaker A: I was going to say, yeah, did they make stressful?
[00:29:10] Speaker B: Yeah. And I thought I was doing a terrible job. And the guy was like, this is amazing. This is a great business plan. I was like, okay, cool. But you have to assess your people, who will be your competitors, essentially, and market research in your area. And it really does make you question like, oh, my God, is this going to work? And a friend of mine who owns a store also in Portland was know, don't worry about all the other stuff. She's like, this is the inside of your head, and that's the inside of their head. And it's always going to be different. And there's room for everybody, really. And we have such great shopping in Portland, like, amazing home, great fashion. It's very cool. And I really do think there's room for everyone. So I'm glad I didn't let that stop me being like, not good enough. Nobody's going to like me, which sometimes I still feel that way.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: We always do.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: So we got a bank loan, by the grace of God, and we did a lot of the construction ourselves. My husband is like a diY. Love to build and do that kind of stuff. So we ripped that place apart, and it was a bank office.
[00:30:14] Speaker A: The location that, like, Wes and Sarah.
[00:30:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Not that mean they're really very talented. For sure.
[00:30:26] Speaker A: They are.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: Know, we did our version of that.
[00:30:31] Speaker A: I guess, on the smaller on the brick and mortar.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. And it's like you really just want to kind of create a white box for these brands to shine. And again, you have to create little spaces within. And I like everything sort of. I merchandise by color. So it's like making sure you have all this stuff that's going to kind of work together in one space.
[00:30:51] Speaker A: Merchandise within. I like that.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:54] Speaker A: Or build space within.
[00:30:56] Speaker B: You said, how did you just create little.
[00:30:59] Speaker A: Yeah. You're building spaces within.
[00:31:00] Speaker B: Yes, within.
So when we rented the space, when.
[00:31:04] Speaker A: We saw the space, does that mean like shelving?
[00:31:07] Speaker B: Yeah, some shelving. And he put up a big separating wall that's now half as our back room, but it's essentially the end of the store. Okay.
But we have two sides of the building are windows, like rows of windows, because we're on the corner. So we have amazing natural light, which is great.
[00:31:25] Speaker A: So you're in this place that you originally started?
[00:31:27] Speaker B: Yes, that's awesome. Yeah, it's an awesome spot. And when I looked at it, I was like, this is weird. And we're also kind of on the outskirts of. We're on the corner of Silver and Milk street, which across from the crooked mile, but we're just away from Exchange street and just up from commercial street, which are like the two big busy areas. So I was like, okay, well, it might just take a little while for people to find us. And they did eventually. And it's kind of like, you can sneak a little bit on parking over here. You know what I mean? It's not crazy busy. We don't get a ton of foot traffic, which actually has been great. I don't think I'd be able to handle all the foot traffic and the looky lose and people who are just.
[00:32:05] Speaker A: I was going to say, yeah, not.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: All the foot traffic and the cruise ship people. And there's a lot of.
[00:32:11] Speaker A: They need to be more intentional to show up with it. But, man, that, like, the cobblestone and the architects around. When I dropped stuff off at Whiton, I was like, whoa, there they are. Wow, that's a sweet. That's a cool spot.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: Really cool. Yeah.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: Thanks.
[00:32:26] Speaker B: So it's really worked out, and I love it there. We just thought.
[00:32:28] Speaker A: And it was big. Yeah, it's much bigger than I thought.
[00:32:30] Speaker B: It was going to be. Yeah. I mean, it seems tiny. I feel like we're bursting at the seams sometimes, but I am like, that's.
[00:32:35] Speaker A: How it always is. Yeah, I'm a lobsterman. You get a bigger boat and you're like, this is just a little bit bigger. I'd be just right. Then you get that one and you're like, crazy. I don't know.
[00:32:43] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. So we can fill up any space, really. But it's been great. We just signed another five years, like, I guess last year or something. So we'll be there for another five. And then hopefully we don't get priced out of Portland because getting expensive.
But it's a great spot.
[00:32:58] Speaker A: Everybody's got to go up.
[00:33:00] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's all good.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: Exactly. So you started this. You got it going, man. I think I can do this.
[00:33:11] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:12] Speaker A: And you picked the store because you had retail skills.
I guess you've talked about the inspiration a little bit, but why not go do more designing? Or you're not designing in a store.
[00:33:30] Speaker B: But I don't have the technical skills to go say, like, I'm a designer. You know what I mean? Or a decorator, even. And also that's. I feel like a really hard thing because you're working one on one with someone and they really have to trust your vision or it's not going to work out. You know what I mean? That would just be really hard. I feel like bending over to help somebody get their.
If you're a creative and you're an artist, you want to do your thing and you just want these people to love your thing, and that's it. So I felt like with a store, I could do a bunch of different things and have high end stuff and have the lower price things and have vintage and have new and just a mix of everything that I always feel like anyone can walk in and find something for someone or for themselves.
I like to think that not everybody can find something that they like and that they can afford, too. That's really important to me.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:22] Speaker B: Because I don't like to walk into a store and feel like, oh, my God, I shouldn't be in here, or, you know what I mean? You're less than, or whatever. My dad used to make us stand against the wall if we would go into a shop. He's like, stand here and be quiet. Like, don't say anything.
And that was like, I don't want anyone to have to do that with their kids in my shop because I have kids.
[00:34:42] Speaker A: I understand some places.
[00:34:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Which is fine. Don't touch the ceramics or put your sticky fingers on things, and that's fine. But we have a little kids section, and I have little toys and stickers, and I'm always just trying to distract so that their parents can shop too, because it's hard to go shopping with your kids. I know it's tough. And if you just need something quick, you want to make sure your kid is distracted in a nice way.
[00:35:04] Speaker A: Yeah. So what was your vision for the store? Why'd you pick retail and you were getting into.
Yeah. You didn't want the store to be so, like, you couldn't.
[00:35:14] Speaker B: People couldn't come in accessible, friendly. I'm just approachable, and I want to make sure that the girls who work at the store, too, are outgoing and want to have conversations, because we do get the husbands, the boyfriends who begrudgingly come in, but then they like it, and they're, like, chatting with us, and they're like, this is a nice. You've got a nice place here. And we're like, thanks. I love to change minds like that.
[00:35:41] Speaker A: So you get started.
[00:35:42] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:35:42] Speaker A: And you, you know, some stuff from k Cola would sell. Really know these different lines and you figure out what's not.
[00:35:50] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah.
[00:35:50] Speaker A: So can you kind of go through that process as a retailer, as an entrepreneur and just yourself and figuring that out and how you've progressed?
[00:36:01] Speaker B: Yeah. It really is about.
I hate to use the word vibe because I feel like it's really overused, but the vibe in the store ethos. Yes, exactly. And if something feels a little off and you're questioning it as a buyer, maybe it's just not going to work. I guess I just try to trust my gut. Mostly I just pick out things that I really like and things that I would put in my own home.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:36:27] Speaker B: There are occasionally some things where I'm like, I probably wouldn't buy this for myself, but I know that people are going to love it and it's cute and I know it will sell, so we'll throw that in. Know.
[00:36:35] Speaker A: So you know your.
[00:36:36] Speaker B: That's. Yeah. You have to look at the reports and read the numbers because that's where the truth can. You can love something so much and nobody else likes it, so it sucks, but you got to get rid of it.
[00:36:49] Speaker A: We design products, Hannah and I, going through colors and whatever. We're picking them all out and like, well, okay, here it's like always the line of, we think this is really, it's like, is anybody going to buy that?
[00:37:00] Speaker B: I know. It's so hard. And you don't know until you start testing things that are adjacent to that. Or you just bite the bullet and do it and then maybe you have to put it on sale. You know what I mean?
[00:37:11] Speaker A: That's right. That's how it goes.
[00:37:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: The thing that sticks out to me in this conversation, this just popped into my head one time we went to America's mark on the show and Sarah Jessica Parker was going to be a speaker there.
[00:37:23] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:37:24] Speaker A: And so I held down the booth while Renee went and saw, and I was excited for it to. Yeah, yeah. And we were just starting to kind of figure this out, too.
We want to do color. We want to show. It's not about showing people that we can do design and be creative, but it's just what we like to do. Hannah wants to do color and do all these play around. Yeah, but then you make color and it doesn't sell.
She said, I think she was talking about a shoe line or something she designed. She's like, we all know the neutrals are going to sell the most.
[00:37:59] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: That's all there is to it. We know those are going to be the ones that are going to basically pay for everything and make you the money. But we need to do the colors and the pops and the design, the unique stuff. That's what draws people in, show people kind of what you can do.
[00:38:13] Speaker B: That's so true.
[00:38:14] Speaker A: Maybe I just don't quote me on her on the. That was the general idea, I think. And that was like, it's true. I remember that ever since.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: And you see like a pop of orange or against a sage or whatever, you're like, ooh, it excites your eye and you want to gravitate towards it. And whether that's what you pick or another one in the line, that's more neutral, which is probably what you're going to pick.
Yeah, it does. It really does bring people in, I feel like.
[00:38:39] Speaker A: Yeah. And it creates a certain feeling. I mean, I think there's some places that major in color, but they've really hit some niche and people come to.
[00:38:47] Speaker B: Them for that, I'm sure. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:38:50] Speaker A: So you said some things didn't work out at first, so obviously, I guess they just don't sell. But what was that kind of process? Like, what did you think you were going to be? Because that's what you bought items for and what did you end up kind of being?
[00:39:09] Speaker B: I guess I thought it would be more like home decor. Like, you would come in and you would buy, like, new pillows for your couch or you would buy a new coverlet for your bed because we sold a lot of that stuff at Cakelette, more larger pieces to decorate your home.
And that just wasn't working. I was selling a ton of books and like, cutting boards and candles and lotions and smaller items that people were gifting to other people, bringing as a housewarming gift, wedding gift, or a little treat for themselves or a little treat for somebody else or whatever.
And so I just was like, okay, I need to lean more into those things because that's what's working. And I still do. We still sell pillows and really beautiful throw blankets and some larger items, too. And artwork is huge. I mean, art is a massive seller for us.
We started with Sarah's paintings on the wall.
[00:40:02] Speaker A: As you sell any originals there?
[00:40:04] Speaker B: Yeah, when we first started, it was all originals. We were her first retail location, which is really cool. Yeah.
And over the years, it's know, when she first started doing prints, we were know. She's like, I don't know, is this going to work? I'm like, let's see. Well, guess what? It works. People love prints. I mean, we saw them all day long. They're beautiful. Her work just, like, connects with people and it's quality.
[00:40:27] Speaker A: She's making quality prints.
[00:40:28] Speaker B: Totally. Yeah.
[00:40:28] Speaker A: She really is putting out pieces of paper.
[00:40:31] Speaker B: Yeah. And they just really go with the store very well.
[00:40:33] Speaker A: I think it's so cool that she makes them. I didn't realize that.
[00:40:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I know.
It's a lot of work.
[00:40:38] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:39] Speaker B: Going on over there.
So artwork has been huge. And I like, because she's from Maine, people love a Maine product. Which, another thing, I didn't think I would be so Maine focused. I mean, I did, but I thought I would have some things sprinkled in from Maine artisans here and there. But it's become a huge part of the business because people love it. And I love to support local businesses as well. Of course. Bonus if you're like a mom or I love you and your wife, she's mom supporting you guys.
But I don't know, there's something about. Yeah. Like hearing the stories. People come in, they're visiting from away, they want something from Maine. They don't necessarily want a crafty or, like, folky type craft that you would normally find at a craft fair. And that's the stuff that I kind of avoid because it just doesn't go with our know.
[00:41:29] Speaker A: Yeah. So let's talk about that a little bit. Finding that balance between kitchen craft. Yeah. What's hard about kitschy or whatever? If people come to Maine, they want to bring something back from Maine or wherever they go.
[00:41:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:41:42] Speaker A: Find the right things that people like, but do it in a classy way. Just like, I don't want to buy that. Just.
I kind of like that saying. But it's really cheap.
[00:41:54] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:41:55] Speaker A: Literally just like words thrown on the cheapest thing.
[00:41:59] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah. I mean, we don't want to be like home goods or like, you know what I mean? Like all that kind of stuff. But you want it to feel like special but fun. I don't know. And I mean, we miss the mark sometimes. Not all these things work out.
[00:42:12] Speaker A: Yeah, that's part of.
[00:42:13] Speaker B: Yeah, that's just the way it is. Or people really. There's just everybody wants, like a Portland magnet or like something. You know what I mean? And I'm just like, well, I'm sorry. You can go back down to commercial street for that. You're not going to find that up here. And that's okay. I don't have to fill that space for those people, but we'll have something else for them or whatever. So we try to support main brands and do it in that way.
[00:42:36] Speaker A: I guess that's cool. Yeah, I guess we talked about a little bit. But how did you end up finding your niche here in Portland and what were some of the challenges? I guess you've talked about quite a bit of that already. Is there any more to elaborate?
[00:42:51] Speaker B: Yeah, it takes know you can't open your doors and expect everybody to come running.
I'm no one. Nobody knows me. It was kind of like a lot of these brands or stores now start with an online shop or they do pop ups or something like that first and it's a really good way to build an audience and foundation and then they open up a shop. That's a great idea. People should do that.
[00:43:18] Speaker A: How does the pop up thing work?
People have said, hey, you should do a pop up a little bit.
[00:43:25] Speaker B: I don't know. I mean, it's hit or miss sometimes. Really.
It depends. Have you guys ever done Thompson's point or anything like that?
[00:43:32] Speaker A: We've never done any pop up. You should zero.
[00:43:34] Speaker B: So that's like more of a maker's market. But it's like a cool kind of curated thing.
[00:43:40] Speaker A: I feel like you guys do really well.
[00:43:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Thompson's point over by know in south Portland there.
[00:43:46] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:43:48] Speaker B: They have a lot of like near. Do you know near native candles?
[00:43:51] Speaker A: I've heard of them.
[00:43:52] Speaker B: Okay. She's awesome too. So a lot of local makers go and you just sign up for. I mean, I think you can sign up for a couple shows, you can do the whole season and a ton of people go to shop and buy things. So that might be worth.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: And that doesn't bother if they have other accounts there?
[00:44:08] Speaker B: No, I don't think so. Yeah. I mean, that's the other thing I think like territory protection is tough because there are so many little shops in Portland.
[00:44:16] Speaker A: Right.
[00:44:17] Speaker B: And we're all like fishing from the same pond essentially.
[00:44:20] Speaker A: It's harder in areas like.
[00:44:21] Speaker B: Yeah, it's hard, but I don't like little markets like that. Don't.
[00:44:25] Speaker A: If anybody ever figures that out, let me know.
[00:44:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't think anybody on your end or on really care and really care about holding territory for every little thing that they have. And then there's other people who are just like, I don't know. I feel like again, back to that point, like, this is the inside of my head. That's the inside of your head. You create your space. You have your own customer. Everything's going to be a little bit different. Like if we share some things. Fine, whatever. You know what I mean? I don't know. I try not to get too up.
[00:44:55] Speaker A: In a huff about too worked. Yeah, I know. It gets kind of weird if everybody knows what we're talking about. Just in retail locations or retail in general, there's a certain amount of product in the store and Lauren has selected her manufacturers and stuff. You're going to sell and you want to be unique. So try not to overlap or things like that with similar products.
[00:45:22] Speaker B: Yeah, you can have, like, zip code. Terrorit.
[00:45:24] Speaker A: As a manufacturer, we can protect basically all we want or not want. Everybody goes from being super protective to, like, we don't protect at all.
[00:45:36] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
[00:45:40] Speaker A: I feel like the bigger your line is, the less protective. It's just like, hey, we have a lot of things.
[00:45:45] Speaker B: Yeah. You can all choose.
[00:45:46] Speaker A: Yeah. If you want to be unique, then choose something else. But those are my best sellers. Well, it's like, yeah, we love to help, but we have less right now, so we do all we can. We want people to stay unique.
[00:46:01] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:46:01] Speaker A: And it's not in every shop. And we want the right partnership. Actually, we really don't just take orders anymore.
[00:46:09] Speaker B: Good. We kind of vet them.
[00:46:10] Speaker A: Yeah. But we want it to be a partnership. We want to make sure it's going to work. We don't want anybody to just order one time.
[00:46:17] Speaker B: Right.
[00:46:18] Speaker A: And it didn't work out good for them. I don't want them to come back the next year and say we didn't. Yeah, we still got a couple left. Act like they did a good job when really, like, well, that was a waste of your time. Money.
[00:46:28] Speaker B: Well, and a waste of your time, too, because you could have been selling somewhere else.
[00:46:31] Speaker A: Well, I mean, it was one order for us, I guess, but, yeah, we don't want to do that. Make sure that it's a good fit. We don't want to waste their money, time, space, whatever it is.
[00:46:42] Speaker B: Partnership is a good word to describe it. Yeah.
[00:46:44] Speaker A: So we try to find how many stores. It's hard, though, when somebody tries to order stuff and you're like, it is really hard.
[00:46:51] Speaker B: And with fair, are you guys on fair at all? Yeah, that's a whole other. I feel like that's hard because. Do you have zip code protection on fair?
[00:46:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm not sure what we have set up there. I think we kind of do because.
[00:47:03] Speaker B: That'S a tough one. Because it's like anybody kind of order.
[00:47:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:06] Speaker B: Somebody could be ordering for themselves.
[00:47:09] Speaker A: I've always been on the fence about fair. My team had to kind of bring me along there.
[00:47:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think it's a really great.
[00:47:15] Speaker A: It's a great idea.
[00:47:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And during COVID like, when shows weren't going on and you needed to find some things.
[00:47:21] Speaker A: We make stuff here in Maine by hand, quality stuff with rep groups and all these things. The percentage that they take is just too much for us. And then also we want to be represented a certain way.
[00:47:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:47:34] Speaker A: Which fair is just a platform. That's fine. And they make things. It's gorgeous. Yeah, they do a good job.
But like, a rep group, I don't know what that guy. Every person in a rep group, what they're going and saying to other people.
They are the face of our company. We just decided we're going to do all that internal plus.
[00:47:53] Speaker B: That's good.
[00:47:54] Speaker A: I feel like you almost have to make a product knowing you're going to have a rep and take that huge cut out of it.
[00:48:00] Speaker B: Right. Exactly. I mean, it changes the price.
[00:48:03] Speaker A: The percentages are literally set up for people that have always brought stuff from overseas that are used to those margins.
[00:48:11] Speaker B: Yes, I think you're right.
[00:48:12] Speaker A: I think it's just like, well, everybody, this is no big deal, whatever it is.
[00:48:16] Speaker B: I think things are changing. And I want to talk to the owner of a company. I don't want to talk to a rep who's, like, showing me all of their lines. Like, let me show you what I've got in my bag of tricks. It's like, no, I want you to bring me lines that are going to work in my store that go with my aesthetic. Like, don't bring me things that, you know, if you thought about it for two minutes would not fit with my store. You know what I mean? It's like, put a little thought into it, and I want to talk to the owners and give them all my money instead of breaking off a big chunk of it for somebody else. It's not fair.
[00:48:46] Speaker A: Right. I do try to even buying anything now. I try to go online. I try to buy direct from them. I mean, it might be more expensive. I mean, if it's, like, ridiculous, and I'm like, I got to make a call.
[00:48:59] Speaker B: I know. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:49:01] Speaker A: Because what I'm worried about is we all know if you go to Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, whatever, if you get a brand name there, it's not the same thing.
[00:49:10] Speaker B: No, yeah, it's a specific line for them. Yeah.
[00:49:13] Speaker A: They made like, hey, how about getting it to this price point? It's a lesser quality. Yeah. You get stuff on Amazon now. It's the same way.
[00:49:20] Speaker B: Right.
[00:49:20] Speaker A: So I'm a little bit like, okay, it's that much of a difference. So I got to really think that over.
[00:49:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:27] Speaker A: But, yeah, it's nice to go direct, but I'm sure there's great. I know if you had a great rap that really cared about, you would look it over. So I'm sure you have some good ones out there.
[00:49:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm sure there are great ones out there.
[00:49:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, hey, I have something that is great for you. Not to show the whole line, everything.
[00:49:43] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Just finding the right person.
[00:49:45] Speaker A: Yeah. So let's get into quality a little bit. Yeah, we love this podcast is basically about quality and timeless design. And Maine, which we've all been hitting on, all these things. Tell me what quality means to you and maybe to your store specifically. Just in general, what are your kind of thoughts?
[00:50:07] Speaker B: Yeah, quality. I mean, handmade items, I feel like, are always better quality, for sure, than something that's made in a factory somewhere. Who knows what's going on. So we try to, as often as we can, handmade ceramics, the fabrics that are used, I mean, I feel like that's a huge piece of quality, too.
The red count, certain types of thread.
[00:50:33] Speaker A: Certain.
[00:50:35] Speaker B: Materials used in blankets, and that are going to withstand the test of time.
I don't know, like, being someone who's at home with my kids, I want something nice that I can throw in the washer and maybe the dryer that's not going to fall apart or get all nasty after a couple of washes.
[00:50:53] Speaker A: Right.
[00:50:54] Speaker B: So it's important you have to invest a little bit more money into that kind of thing. So those are important pieces to spend your money on. And then sometimes I feel like the trendy little things that you just want to grab, even like Halloween decorations or something. You know what I mean? You want to grab a quick little thing. It doesn't have to be the most expensive thing ever. Probably the kids are going to break it anyway, so maybe you can skimp a little bit there.
But I feel like natural fabrics are always better. They wash and wear better than anything that has the synthetic in it. So 100% cotton pillows, quilts, we have some gorgeous hand block printed those things.
[00:51:35] Speaker A: I mean, I should know this, but. So natural fabrics wash and wear better.
[00:51:39] Speaker B: Than I think so, because over time, the synthetic stuff breaks down. You know what I mean?
[00:51:45] Speaker A: I didn't realize that.
[00:51:46] Speaker B: Yeah, don't quote me.
[00:51:47] Speaker A: I'm pretty positive in your use. That's what you see.
[00:51:51] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what I've seen, and that's what I try and do like 100% cotton or that's great, whatever, because it does. I mean, of course, depending on the thread density things can wear through, they can become thread bare. But overall, those are the things that are going to.
[00:52:07] Speaker A: You kind of have a thread count standard in your head, right?
[00:52:10] Speaker B: Yeah. But then it's like, what's that thread mixed with? You know what I mean? And that's where things get. People are like, I have to have these 400 thread count sheets. It's like, well, if that thread is garbage, then you're going to be sweating all night and you're not going to feel good, and these are not going to kill and do all that. So I always feel like natural fibers are where it's at, like, what I gravitate towards the most.
Yeah. So that kind of thing, I think is important.
[00:52:40] Speaker A: Definitely.
[00:52:40] Speaker B: That helps answer your question.
[00:52:42] Speaker A: Yeah, no, it does.
As you talked about, something that just stood out when you were saying that was the quality.
And as a mom, like, things that I can just throw in and it's going to last and wear well. And then talking about the thread counts.
Yeah, that's a high thread count. But if it's not with this nice material, you're literally going to sweat all.
[00:53:06] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:53:07] Speaker A: That is not good. I do not like sweating when I sleep.
[00:53:10] Speaker B: God, no. I need it cold. I need it like 65 degrees. I feel like people get very, like, the high numbers people think are the better things in life and then thinking about quality with candles and fragrances and, I mean, for how long were we all, like, poisoning ourselves with these yankee candles just in our homes, making everything black with whatever was in them? It's like, that's an important thing. You want to spend good money on beautifully made handmade candles, too.
[00:53:40] Speaker A: What is a good candle that are.
[00:53:42] Speaker B: Like soy or coconut wax?
They have like a really even burn, a low burn temperature.
[00:53:49] Speaker A: Those are natural.
[00:53:51] Speaker B: Natural, yeah, more natural without all the chemicals and all that stuff. So just the more natural, the better. Like in fabrics, in candles, certainly, like skin products and everything, which is hard for us in the US because there are not a ton of rules about what's on the market.
But that's important, too. We try and carry really nice hand creams and body lotions and things that are safe for us and for the earth. That's important.
[00:54:20] Speaker A: Yeah. And as you talk about natural stuff, it just makes me think of timeless.
[00:54:25] Speaker B: Yeah, timeless.
[00:54:26] Speaker A: That blend of quality and timeless we talk about on here.
[00:54:30] Speaker B: Yeah. The things that last forever and the things that you probably have something from your grandparents or whatever that you've had forever. That's a natural fabric because they didn't have anything that wasn't natural back then. That's just still kicking. Yeah, just worked. It's like back to basics. It doesn't have to be so complicated.
[00:54:48] Speaker A: So at this point, what does Maine mean to you?
[00:54:52] Speaker B: Yeah, Maine is just. I'm so comfortable. Like, it's my family. The community is so wonderful. There's so much cool stuff going.
Know, I love all the ages in Maine. Like the kids that are growing up in love, you know, people who are our age just doing really cool stuff, like having young families and starting businesses and, like restaurants and stores and eateries and all that.
Just changing things from what they were at one point, which is, I'm sure there's some really great things that are still hanging around, but it's just new blood, new life, breathing new life into the area.
And then the older generations are pretty awesome, too.
My dad spent a summer here, like in the something. He lived here in the. They have his family. Him and his brother had like, a hunting camp up in Cutler. Okay.
Yes. So he has ties to Maine, but we never came here as a kid. So it kind of was like when I moved up here or when I first came up here and he was like, oh, we have a place up. And I was, what? I didn't know that. I felt like I had been robbed. What do you mean? You have a place in Maine? And not that we're going to go spend our time at this raggedy old hunting camp, but what's this all about? Tell me the story. Yeah, it's a long way. So there's just a story behind everything. I don't know. It's just beautiful here.
[00:56:18] Speaker A: A story behind everything.
[00:56:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like there is. And that's what I mean, kind of like at the store. I love to tell the story behind everything, too.
[00:56:25] Speaker A: What are some of your favorite stories of things in your.
[00:56:31] Speaker B: I love. So we carry this really beautiful line called Jamini. And they're based in she, the owner is from India, but actually her mother in law lives in Brunswick, Maine, which is, like, wild. I think I saw the line. I don't know how I came across it. Maybe at a trade show in Paris or something and just loved it, for know. So I reached out when I was opening the store and she was like, yes, we would love to be in Maine. We're not in Maine, but my mother in law is in Maine. And I was, what? Like, it's just crazy. The weird connections that you then.
[00:57:05] Speaker A: Yeah. That's like not even part of their story to me. But it's a story to you.
[00:57:10] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:57:11] Speaker A: That's what's really cool.
[00:57:12] Speaker B: Feels like everybody has a little connection to Maine or in some way or another. At least a lot of people that we talk to.
[00:57:18] Speaker A: Summer camps.
[00:57:19] Speaker B: Yes, summer camps. Oh my gosh, such a big one. Which is like a whole other world to me. I'd love to hear about summer camps. And then as a parent I'm like, that sounds like heaven. Like sending your kid away and they have to be outside playing. They don't have access to any sort of tech at all. That sounds amazing.
I mean, the price tag is like a whole other thing to be discussed, but it sounds awesome. I just feel like so lucky that my kids get to grow up in such a magical place and where everybody.
[00:57:46] Speaker A: Sends their kids to go summer.
[00:57:47] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah. And we call them like outdoor know. They just want to be outside all the time.
[00:57:53] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:57:54] Speaker B: Starting at like six in the morning when we get out of, you know, Benny's like, I want to go outside. I'm like, it's dark and it's cold and you gotta eat, you know, but it's just an awesome place. So I love all those. Sorry I got off topic, but just I don't know, all the stories behind things and.
Yeah, connections back to Maine in some way.
[00:58:14] Speaker A: Lots of stories and connections. Yeah, no, it's really neat.
Usually I think about Maine.
It does end up being a story.
[00:58:26] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:58:26] Speaker A: It might not say that, but it might not be the first thing they point out. It might be more like geographical or something about the landscape or something like that. But essentially they're all our stories because we're in it.
[00:58:41] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. We have this really cool book at the store by this photographer named John Duncan. I don't know if you've seen it, but it's called take it easy. And it's photographs of Portland and Maine in the 70s. Just this beautiful book of all of these photographs and people from the 70s, just from his travels and his experiences. And they are just beautiful. And he writes little stories about who the people are, whether they were strangers to him or if they were important people to him. He writes about it in the book and it's just like a gorgeous thing. And he's really sweet. He's local. Anytime I get a shipment of books in, he will come in and sign like all 24 of them. And he writes like, hope you enjoy this book. And he spends 2 hours chatting with us and telling us more stories about Maine and all of these things. And that's just it. I love it. It's like community.
[00:59:27] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:59:27] Speaker B: Yeah. It's just so fun and makes you feel good.
[00:59:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:59:31] Speaker B: And then you get to go home with a story and tell your people about.
[00:59:34] Speaker A: So connection.
[00:59:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:59:38] Speaker A: I was just thinking. Oh, I was going to ask you, is Nick from Maine?
[00:59:42] Speaker B: He is. He's from Wiscasset.
[00:59:43] Speaker A: Wiscasset?
[00:59:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:59:46] Speaker A: How old is he?
[00:59:47] Speaker B: He is.
Kill me. He's 41.
[00:59:50] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:59:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:59:51] Speaker A: Well, I always would because I played sports against Wiscasset pretty hard.
[00:59:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:59:55] Speaker A: How old?
[00:59:55] Speaker B: You're young, though. You're like 30. Oh, yeah, sure. He was into tennis and soccer.
[01:00:02] Speaker A: But you're younger. I'm 35.
[01:00:05] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah.
[01:00:05] Speaker A: So you guys missed each other, but, yeah, in high school we battled Wisconsin pretty hard. Wait, Georgia Valley was like. Everybody was our number one enemy.
[01:00:15] Speaker B: Okay.
[01:00:15] Speaker A: We were just very physical.
[01:00:16] Speaker B: Right? Sure. You just come out swinging.
[01:00:18] Speaker A: I guess. I don't know.
I don't know if it's because it's kind of a lobsterman type crowd or something, but we were physical and it was just like, it seemed like every time we were playing somebody, it was like arch enemy number one. It was very weird.
[01:00:33] Speaker B: That's so funny. All that boy energy.
[01:00:35] Speaker A: Maybe that's how everybody took out, but I know that's how other places thought about us showing up.
[01:00:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, and that's what, again, back to the stories. I love that Maine is the juxtaposition of these beautiful, well kept summer homes from these people who come from away. But then the people of Maine are known as rugged. And I don't know, there are so many descriptors. I feel like go around and then people talk about. Yeah, the main accent, which I feel like I don't hear very often, honestly.
[01:01:05] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, you're not further.
[01:01:06] Speaker B: I mean, you probably hear it a lot. Yeah.
[01:01:09] Speaker A: Or on the radio listening to Lobsterman. Right.
Or far enough north, more east, I would say.
[01:01:18] Speaker B: I'm sure Cutler is.
[01:01:19] Speaker A: Cutler would be. Perfect spot here. A good main accent.
[01:01:21] Speaker B: Yeah. But there's just so many different people, different opinions. It's just like a very interesting place.
[01:01:29] Speaker A: I used to have much more of a main accent if you're at home or something.
[01:01:32] Speaker B: Gotten rid of it a little.
[01:01:32] Speaker A: Well, I think sometimes if people hear it, if they might think.
I think main accent. There's a billion different versions of the accent, but if one sense could sound, for lack of a better term, redneck or dumb or something, if I'm trying to be a professional business person. I know I didn't make any massive effort on that. I just think maybe sub semi consciously kind of pronouncing things clearer or something like that.
[01:02:01] Speaker B: Someone did say recently to my husband, he's like, oh, so you're not from Maine, right? And he was like, I am.
I'm from mid coast. And he was like, oh, you don't have an accent. And I was just like, yeah, you.
[01:02:11] Speaker A: Wouldn'T find many people, I don't think. Maybe a little inland, but once you start getting east more and more, and then inland a little bit, you definitely run more into that. And if they grew up on a farm or on a fishing thing, it's just much stronger.
[01:02:25] Speaker B: I feel like I'm from the land of no accent. Like, Connecticut is like, we're just so boring. Like, we have no inflection in our. So.
[01:02:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. I guess maybe that's what I was trying to get to, was trying to speak English well.
[01:02:38] Speaker B: Right. Well, you do a good job speaking.
[01:02:40] Speaker A: English well, like on Charlote's Webb, how many times have we watched that speak very well?
[01:02:48] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[01:02:48] Speaker A: She says that. That's funny, Wilbur, but I don't have any.
[01:02:53] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. No, not at all. You just read that every night by yourself?
[01:02:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Or watch the movie by myself. Falling asleep.
[01:02:59] Speaker B: Sure.
[01:03:05] Speaker A: Growing up in Connecticut and then being here or going back where you were in Connecticut, is there much difference?
Do you guys live right in Portland? Pretty close.
[01:03:16] Speaker B: We live in Wyndham. Yeah. So we're like 20 minutes to Portland. We lived in Portland for a long time, and then we built our house.
[01:03:24] Speaker A: Portland basically part of your suburbs of Portland?
[01:03:27] Speaker B: Absolutely, yeah.
Where I grew up different.
Where I grew up is really like a summer town.
Most houses are summer houses. My parents, like my mom summered there when she was little, so we ended up there. She's loved it. It's right on the beach. It's beautiful, quiet, calm. They had a great school system. I mean, it was like a cool place to grow up. There's just not much going on.
[01:03:52] Speaker A: Is there any big differences between Connecticut and Maine?
[01:03:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, mean, take that as.
[01:03:59] Speaker A: Big or small as you want to.
[01:04:00] Speaker B: Take it, but I don't know. I guess just like, the amount of things that are happening, there's not a ton of up. And at least from where I'm from in Connecticut, there's not a lot of. Ton of up and coming restaurants and new exciting things. Like, we go there and I'm like, where do you guys get food there's? No good restaurants.
Not that Trader Joe's and whole foods are like the end all, be all, but there's nothing like that down there and. Yeah, I don't know. I guess so. It's a little more like Portland obviously is more urban.
[01:04:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:04:29] Speaker B: And. Yeah, just a young families, a lot of kids here and not so much mean. Maybe there were when I think you're.
[01:04:40] Speaker A: Describing just like the Portland kind of life too. Yeah, it sounds like the Connecticut place. You almost more like a lot of.
[01:04:47] Speaker B: The retiree kind of area. Like, it's beautiful. And I love to go back there and bring the kids to the beach and everything, but it's like a little snoozy. Yeah. A little tired down there.
[01:04:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Your people, you need stuff around.
[01:04:59] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. I need to talk to people.
[01:05:03] Speaker A: Need to talk to people. That's right.
So what do you have coming up? New and exciting.
[01:05:12] Speaker B: New and exciting.
[01:05:13] Speaker A: Anything.
What's your vision for the store?
[01:05:18] Speaker B: My vision for the store? I mean, just to keep growing, of course. I'm just happy to be here after Covid. I think that that was such a weird time. And everything is always changing in the retail industry, too.
[01:05:30] Speaker A: What do you see changing?
[01:05:32] Speaker B: I feel like.
[01:05:33] Speaker A: What do you see? Yeah. For trends.
[01:05:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know. There's like highs and lows and.
Gosh, for trends, I don't even know. I'm not a very good trend person.
[01:05:44] Speaker A: But you must see people. Hey, this was selling really well. Now it's not anymore.
[01:05:49] Speaker B: Yeah. There's always lines like that that you cycle through very quickly, and so you reorder, and then all of a sudden you're like, oh, maybe everybody who wanted that already got it, and now they want something new and different. So we're always trying to bring in new lines. I'm always looking for more main made items. But again, I say that I'm picky and I feel like I have to be to keep the store the way that the vision of the store and just the feel of it authentic to what it is. So not everything is going to be right for the store, and that's okay. Right. But, yeah, I'm always looking for more artwork, and that kind of thing is important. And I'm going to really work on our website this year. Web is tough.
We have this website.
[01:06:35] Speaker A: Do you sell anything on there now?
[01:06:37] Speaker B: We do, yeah. Not a ton. It was very busy during COVID which was great.
[01:06:41] Speaker A: Right.
[01:06:42] Speaker B: But has kind of died down. But we do have a lot of customers from far away who come visit during the summer. And they buy from us over Christmas or holidays or for birthdays or whatever, which is amazing because they're choosing me.
[01:06:52] Speaker A: They're choosing us from far away. They're basically saying, I want to support you.
[01:06:55] Speaker B: I know, which is amazing and very sweet and kind.
[01:06:58] Speaker A: And also they trust your professional curation and where you get things.
[01:07:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Which is awesome. So I want to have more of a web presence for those people and offer more of what we have in the store online because it's hard to get everything online and to keep the inventory up with web sales and in store. So now that our oldest is in kindergarten, this is the first time I've had full time childcare. So I feel like a real human again.
[01:07:24] Speaker A: Right?
[01:07:25] Speaker B: Sort of. And so I'm really just trying to focus on doing that. And because I like to do everything myself, I'm wanting to learn how to do all that.
I'm very blessed. I have a sister who's a graphic designer and an art director at a larger company, so she's really helpful to me.
[01:07:43] Speaker A: Is she in Maine?
[01:07:44] Speaker B: She's in Maine, yeah, she's in Portland. She was living in New York during pre pandemic and then she moved up here when that all went downhill, which I feel so lucky to have her here.
[01:07:55] Speaker A: Yeah, that's really nice.
[01:07:56] Speaker B: And she's like, know she has a great eye, so I trust her eye. Sometimes we disagree on things.
Yeah. But she's a professional, so I usually give in. I'm like, fine, you're right.
[01:08:08] Speaker A: I know. I never know when to trust.
[01:08:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:08:13] Speaker A: If you have your vision, you have to stick with it some sometimes.
Usually like working the marketing company or anybody. It's just like after a while, I'll do some, a lot of. And once I trust them, I pretty.
[01:08:24] Speaker B: Much, yeah, you let it go.
[01:08:26] Speaker A: Let them go.
Like if you hire an interior designer, I heard Caleb Johnson one time talk about or any of these architects, it's just like, yes, tell us what you want. Give us some direction. But if you're not ready to let you hired us because we're experts in this area. If you don't like the stuff that we do and then our style and.
[01:08:55] Speaker B: What we do, then maybe it's not the right fit.
[01:08:57] Speaker A: Right? Maybe it's not really the right fit. You let them run. If you came to us and you like what we do, let us do our thing. Give us good direction, but trust us some too. But I also remember working with a marketing company and who made great, beautiful things and then talking to somebody there and they said, usually our best looking stuff is when the brand itself, they have a great eye, and they are very particular.
We'll give them a lot of stuff. It's a partnership. It works together. But the people who are very decisive and give great direction, usually the best creations come out of.
[01:09:36] Speaker B: That's interesting.
[01:09:36] Speaker A: So they have a good eye.
[01:09:37] Speaker B: Yeah, well, they're confident about it, too, which makes a huge difference.
[01:09:41] Speaker A: Right. That's a huge thing. With Hannah, my wife, when she's designed, she comes in, she's decisive when making aesthetic calls or different calls, she's just like, this is what I'm like. All right, sweet. Because I can learn and I have a decent eye, let's say. A lot of times I'm just like, I don't know what to do for a call.
[01:10:02] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
[01:10:03] Speaker A: I always call them 50 50.
[01:10:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:10:06] Speaker A: But, yeah, that is neat.
You just want to keep kind of growing.
[01:10:14] Speaker B: Yeah, just keep growing and stay. People are like, oh, would you ever open another store or expand? But I don't know. I'm not really in it for that. I love the feeling of just one little shop that's so special to me. Growing up in these coastal towns, there were always these special little gift shops, and you go in there for any special thing that you needed or whatever, and it was always the owner or the same people in there. And that's kind of the feel that I like.
[01:10:40] Speaker A: I think that's got to come more now. Like you said, they just got back into school. You do one thing, do it really well. You got to feel really good. Like, wow, I kind of maybe have this down. Yeah, maybe I could probably replicate this somewhere else, but that would just come into your head someday.
[01:10:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:10:57] Speaker A: I mean, yeah, you could sit down and make goals and say, I want to have three stores, if that's what it's all about, but I'm too tired for that. I want to go to bed.
[01:11:04] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. And people come in and they'll say, is this a franchise? Which in some ways, I'm like, wow, that's so nice that they think that this is that well executed, that they think that professionals did this, but it's just me.
[01:11:16] Speaker A: That's great.
[01:11:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'm like, no, just this little old chop here. This is it. So happy to have that.
[01:11:24] Speaker A: So I always kind of like to do something here. I don't know if you listen to any of them, but any other podcast, they're great. Thank you.
Trying. This is all new. Like you said, you start, you just got to get going, and then you keep refining, getting better. But yeah, I just ask people about a favorite item in their life. Like, gosh, it's something that it could be that you use every day in the kitchen, at home, at work, anything, but just something that is like, tell me about this one thing that you use. Yeah, it doesn't have to be all the time, but you just love it and tell me about it and why.
[01:12:02] Speaker B: Yes. Okay, so I guess mine, I don't know if this counts, but it's probably a candle. At the end of the day, after we clean up from dinner, I want to get, like, the food smell out of the house. So I light a candle and I have a lot of candles, and I kind of cycle through them all. But that, again, sets a mood for me. It sets a tone. I turn the lights off in the kitchen. Sorry, there's like, dust up here.
And it's a way to unwind at the end of the day. And it kind of signals to me, like, this is the end of a day, we're winding down, and I don't know, it just kind of refreshes the space for me. And then I can still smell it. You know? What I do also is I wake up in the middle of the night and I say, oh, my God, did I blow that candle out? And then I inevitably have to go down and check. Of course I blew it out, but that's always that panic moment. But then I can smell it in the morning, which is nice, too. So I'm, like, big on scent. I don't know what it is, but I like my house to smell like a fancy hotel, so I do that. Start burning at night, and then it smells like a fancy hotel through the morning, which is nice. So I guess that's kind of like, it's symbolic for me also. I can change it if I'm sick of something or whatever, but I guess my candle and my wick trimmer, which. Do you have a pair of wick trimmers?
[01:13:14] Speaker A: No, tell me about the wick trimmer.
[01:13:16] Speaker B: Oh, my God. They're these silly scissors that have, like, they look like regular scissors and then they have, like, a disc on the end and they're a flat.
[01:13:23] Speaker A: Oh, yes, I've seen them.
[01:13:24] Speaker B: Yes.
[01:13:24] Speaker A: Do you have, like, a pair that you just love?
[01:13:26] Speaker B: And we sell them at the store if anybody needs a pair game changer. Because otherwise you're like, jabbing at this wick with your kitchen scissors or whatever, and it's like a total mess in there.
[01:13:36] Speaker A: Right?
[01:13:36] Speaker B: But these, you just clip it and it holds onto the wick so you can take it out so that you don't get, like, the smoke and all of the.
[01:13:42] Speaker A: That's something you use every night to.
[01:13:44] Speaker B: No, to cut the wick, and then I light it. You want to cut the wick before you light it? Yeah, because if your wick is too long, then you get huge flame and you get smoke and all that black stuff that is all over your.
[01:13:56] Speaker A: I'm not a candle expert yet. We have been burning quite a few lately, though.
[01:13:58] Speaker B: Have you?
[01:13:59] Speaker A: Sometimes the flames are pretty raging.
[01:14:00] Speaker B: Yeah. See, you should cut that down.
That might help.
[01:14:04] Speaker A: Yeah. So tell me more about the clippers, too.
[01:14:08] Speaker B: The clippers? Yeah, they're just kind of like people.
[01:14:10] Speaker A: How did you find them? What do you.
[01:14:12] Speaker B: My mom had a pair of my grandmothers from years, a million years ago. And, like, a candle snuffer, which I don't use a candle snuffer. I just blow it out, but just kind of like. It seems extravagant. It seems like a silly thing that you don't need, but I don't know. It's like one of those things that once you start using it, you have to have it.
[01:14:29] Speaker A: I don't know. Wait, so you had one from your grand that came from.
[01:14:32] Speaker B: Yeah, my mom had, like, a set. I remember.
[01:14:34] Speaker A: Is that the same one that you sell now?
[01:14:36] Speaker B: No, it's like a different company or something.
[01:14:40] Speaker A: But this one's like an old, like.
[01:14:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I have the one.
[01:14:43] Speaker A: Is that like silver or gold?
[01:14:45] Speaker B: We have, like, an antique brass kind, and the ones I have are black, but they're just like a sturdy scissor and kind of at an angle, and I don't know, they're just like a cool little item. And everybody comes in and they pick them up and they're like, what's this for?
[01:14:59] Speaker A: And then you tell the ones that you sell.
[01:15:01] Speaker B: Yes. And then you tell them. They're like, oh, I need to have this. I'm like, yes, you do. Of course you do.
[01:15:07] Speaker A: It's very practical.
[01:15:08] Speaker B: Yeah, it is a practical thing.
[01:15:10] Speaker A: And candles.
Yeah, I said an item, and you're talking about candles in general, but they do a lot for you. This is part of your routine.
[01:15:17] Speaker B: Yeah, totally.
[01:15:18] Speaker A: Very practical.
It's a huge part of your life.
[01:15:22] Speaker B: It is. I love, like, and my kids always.
[01:15:24] Speaker A: Say that's something you use a lot. I mean, every day. That's really. Yeah.
[01:15:27] Speaker B: And when I light the candle and I turn the lights off, my kids say the chickens close. Like, when Benny was little, I would say, kitchen's closed, and he's like the chickens close, so he always says, chickens close. So it's like I light the candle, turn off the lights, and then they say that, and then we know it's time for a know. It's just a silly thing, but I hope they remember. But it's story. Yeah.
[01:15:45] Speaker A: It's like memories and story.
That's one thing I have found. I'm sure I'll talk about it more, but as I've asked people that, I thought they were going to be talking about these different characteristics of this, explaining this item, why they like it, but it's more about the story and the feeling.
[01:16:02] Speaker B: True. Yeah. The feeling that you get from that one thing that you.
[01:16:05] Speaker A: What it's doing for their life and the practicality, which has been really neat.
[01:16:09] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, there's so much talk about minimalism and you don't need all these things and all that, but there are certain things in your life that really are important and hold memories and hold so much special. You know what I mean?
[01:16:21] Speaker A: I don't know.
[01:16:22] Speaker B: So I think I'm a minimalist a little bit, but it's also important to have things around you because they have stories with them and it's a part of you.
[01:16:31] Speaker A: Yeah. You do need some things.
[01:16:34] Speaker B: Yes, of course.
[01:16:36] Speaker A: Right.
For me, it's like, as long as they bring more peace into your life, bring your order out of chaos.
[01:16:43] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
[01:16:43] Speaker A: If it's saving you time or a headache or whatever, do it with a quality thing.
What ends up happening to all this, I'm sure in America and beyond is like, here's this thing I think is going to help me in life, but then I buy the right thing, but it's no good.
[01:17:02] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[01:17:03] Speaker A: I use it twice and it breaks or doesn't work at all. I literally just bought something at low.
[01:17:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:17:08] Speaker A: And I was just know, I'm just like, I'm just going all in on this thing I take out of the box.
It's just a light, like a motion sensor, light solar thing. That thing lasted like two days. I mean, it was like $40, which isn't nothing. And I was just like, wow, really? And I know stuff breaks, but I was just like, come on, why does this have to happen almost every time?
[01:17:32] Speaker B: I miss the good old days. And I always say this in the store where you could plug your barcode scanner into your computer and you knew it would connect. You didn't have to worry about bluetooth or, like anything, the Internet going out. I just feel like there's so much tech and so much stuff, and it's exhausting. It's like, again, back to basics.
Plug one thing into the other. That being said, I will never probably have a house phone again. Like a landline. I don't have one of those, but I don't know. Back to basics.
[01:18:01] Speaker A: I'm there.
[01:18:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:18:02] Speaker A: So can you just tell everybody where can we find you?
[01:18:05] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah. You can find us in the oldport at 43 Silver street in Portland.
[email protected]. All spelled out the longest name ever.
Or you can find us on Instagram at Fitzbennet home. F-I-T-Z-B-E-N-N-E-T-T-H-O-M-E. Got that.
[01:18:27] Speaker A: You nailed that. Great. Where did the name come from?
[01:18:30] Speaker B: Oh, it's my two grandmothers. Maiden names. Fitzgerald was my mom's mom's maiden name. Joan Fitzgerald, and Muriel Bennett was my dad's mom's.
I mean, grew up at a different time, and their homes were showpieces, essentially. Like my grandmother. Fitzgerald had this room. It was the museum we never went in. It was like, all very.
I mean, we called it the museum as kids, but it was the formal parlor or whatever in the house, and we'd have Christmas in there. But you didn't go in there. You didn't touch things. You certainly didn't sit on the couch or the furniture or anything. Yeah. Had this pink velvet couch.
I don't know. So she was always very prideful and very, like, victorian. Victorian, yes. Everything was very kind of ornate and beautifully put together, and they lived in this gorgeous old house.
[01:19:19] Speaker A: Oh, I wonder why you wanted to become who you are.
[01:19:21] Speaker B: I know, I guess. And then my other grandmother, she had her own style in her own way, too, but again, very kind of special, precious things. Everything had a story to it.
[01:19:31] Speaker A: Really.
[01:19:32] Speaker B: Yeah. So I feel like I was like, what better way to honor my two grandmothers? My maiden name is Maker. Maker. So it was going to be like, maker. I was trying to figure out how to incorporate Fitzgerald and Bennett. Those are such classic, good names. Yeah.
[01:19:49] Speaker A: Maker. That's pretty neat.
[01:19:50] Speaker B: Yeah. There was another store in Portland that opened up around the same time that had maker in it, so I was like, okay, I guess I'm not using that name, but maybe someday I can use it in the future. Right?
[01:19:59] Speaker A: For a second store?
[01:20:00] Speaker B: Yeah, second store.
[01:20:01] Speaker A: Totally. Thanks so much for being guest, Lauren.
[01:20:04] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:20:04] Speaker A: It's been awesome. Really appreciate you being on the podcast and giving us all this inspiration and cool stories.
[01:20:11] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:20:11] Speaker A: Keep her listening to this episode. If you like what we are doing here at slow goods. And want to see us grow. Please support us by sharing it with someone who may also enjoy it. We would also really appreciate your support by subscribing following liking wherever you can find us on any of the platforms, whether it be anywhere you listen to a podcast or YouTube or Instagram or something like that. We'd love to hear from you what you really liked. How can we improve who you want us to interview? And we would just really appreciate any of that support and advice and encouragement. So thank you very much.
