Five Bluffton businesswomen shared the podium and their thoughts about being a business owner in a small town during Friday’s chamber breakfast.
PHOTOS IN THIS FEATURE ARE
BY JAMIE NYGAARD
The five included a barber, dress consignment shop owner, online fabric business owner, funeral director and sports apparel shop owner. The moderator owns a promotional products business.
Panel members were Karen Fredritz of Bluffton Barbers, Rachel Davis of Studio Silhouette, Alice Essinger of Fresh Modern Fabric, Shirley Wagner of Chiles-Laman Funeral and Cremation Services, and Natalie Mueller of Sports Warehouse. Melinda Bowden of PromoHits! served as moderator.
Here’s a summary account of questions and answer during the program.
What’s unique about you being in business in Bluffton?
Karen: I like to clean up my guys.
Alice: I offer fabric that has created a following.
Natalie: My ability to customize set me apart.
Shirley: I’m the first-ever woman funeral director in Bluffton and in the Chiles business.
Your business challenges?
Natalie: Being a mother of three – balancing work and family. My kids walk from school to the store in the afternoon.
Alice: I try to wear all the hats. Some don’t fit well.
Karen: My challenge is getting time for lunch.
What keeps you up at night?
Shirley: The phone.
Natalie: Deadlines. I think I’ll forget something.
Rachel: When I close, especially during prom season I might be in the store until 1 a.m.
What’s your next business step:
Karen: I’d love to have a second barber in the shop.
Alice: I want to branch out into my own website from Etsy. I want to offer more patterns and kits.
Natalie: Website development.
Rachel: A move more toward a bridal store.
Shirley: I want to become more involved in the community.
What services do you offer that might surprise people?
Shirley: We’ve started pet cremation services.
Alice: I have customers from a very wide international base.
Natalie: People continually notice things in the store that they didn’t realize we offered.
Karen: I offer full shaves and better suckers for kids (audience laughs). The shaves are 20-30 minutes with a straight blade. I also cut women’s hair.
Rachel: Alternations. People think it’s a lost art.
None of you grew up in Bluffton. Why are you here?
Shirley: I looked for a community where we could raise our family. Bluffton fits me. It’s a small little gem in the world.
Natalie: We moved to rural Bluffton because my husband worked in Findlay and I worked in Lima. This was in the middle.
Rachel: I grew up in Pandora. When we got married we decided to come to Bluffton.
Karen: We lived in Pandora 16 years. Our oldest three children graduated from P-G. Our youngest three from BHS. We bought a building on Main Street.
What makes Bluffton a great place?
(Long pause before answering)
Natalie: You can buy most everything you need here without going to Lima or Findlay.
Shirley: We have an amazing downtown. When we came here we immediately realized how busy it is.
Karen: The people who live here make it really special.
