Taking It to the Street

Amy Bennett McGee's retailing venture, Amy's Attic, began in 1990 as part of an antique mall in Oklahoma City. But in 1995, she decided to set out on her own. For her new location, Amy found an affordable, older building that offered 2,600 square feet of space — which represented quite an expansion over her mall space. However, there were drawbacks. For one, the new location was set far back from the street, and, to put it politely, it wasn't very pretty. Still, after a three-month renovation, Amy's Attic reopened in early 1996, featuring existing inventory from the previous location as well as $5,000 worth of new product.

In 2000, Amy was coping with the recent loss of her husband of 41 years. During the nine months following his death, the store continued to grow and the inventory expand, until there was simply no more room. Amy made the decision to extend the front of her building — a move that would provide additional space and move the entrance closer to the street. Amy credits the store and its growing needs with "keeping her going" during that difficult time.

While a professional construction company handled the expansion work, much renovation of the original interior was a hands-on project, with Amy laying flooring in the bathrooms and kitchen herself. In addition, she stripped the 100-year-old wood floor in the "country store" area where Amy's Attic sells coffee, tea, and other gourmet goods. Her daughter-in-law, Denita Bennett, also pitched in, painting trompe l'oeil murals (patches of exposed brick, a clapboard cottage) on the cafe walls.

Once completed, in May 2001, the new Amy's Attic covered almost 6,000 square feet, with a brand new entrance right on S. Western Street. The original part of the building was christened MiMi's Cafe, in honor of the nickname given to McGee by her grandchildren. Customers entering Amy's Attic first pass through the new section, then the country store, to reach MiMi's. But the transition is so seamless that Amy reports most customers don't even notice where the old store ends and the new begins.

Guests were invited to the reopening via a specific mailing to Amy's Attic's database of 4,800 customers. (McGee began building her mailing list in 1995. She finds that regular mailings with discount offers are by far the most effective method of advertising.) Flags, refreshments, and a big sale made the opening a festive occasion for old friends.

In the more than two years since, the store's new look has helped bring in first time shoppers. Once inside, the antique atmosphere of the store works its magic on visitors, and turns many of them into repeat customers.

Gross receipts for the year 2001, after the new addition opened, were $334,660 — up dramatically from $193,463 in the previous year. And sales grew once again in 2002, all the way to $352,000. After a profitable summer and a good holiday season, McGee expects a similarly strong showing for 2003.

The additional space did, of course, mean some additional expenses as well. Amy now runs the shop with the help of nine employees, five of them part-timers. And while her salary expenses may be higher, the additional help allows her to travel , including making buying trips to gift shows in Dallas and San Francisco.

One more tip specialty retailers might learn from Amy's Attic involves the cafe feature of the renovated store. While not a loss leader, the percentage of sales MiMi's Café contributes to the store's bottom line is, according to Amy, slight. However, the tearoom, which offers salads, soups, and sandwiches, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., encourages women to come in for a bite, then to stay and browse the rest of the store. The ambience of MiMi's has also created a sort of refuge for many of the store's customers.

Of course, much of the success of Amy's Attic is directly attributable to McGee's keen sense of the basics of running a "relationship" business. The most important thing she's learned, she says, is "to be kind to your customers, and listen."

As in 2000, the store is full to the brim. In fact, business is so good that it's almost like déjà vu all over again for Amy's Attic.