INNOVATE Startup
Diaries #002 Plume story and photos by Nichole L. Ballard
Kelly Gilion seized the opportunity for a second shot at retail success 30
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If you were to ask Kelly Gilion how much planning and effort went into opening her new shop just off Route K outside the city limits of Columbia, her answer might surprise you. Gilion launched Plume, from idea to opening, in less than four months. “This is kind of the crazy part of the story,” she said, grinning and chuckling to herself as she sat at a large dining table strategically placed in an area designed to
imitate a kitchen, just to the right of the entrance of her shop. “I had driven past this location probably 2,000 times over the last couple of years,” she said. “It was very nondescript. I honestly don’t know if I ever noticed it before.” Plume now occupies the former resale shop known as Patty’s Place. Gilion spotted, or thought she spotted, a large yard sale and stopped to take
a look. Gilion stopped off at the Patty’s Place sidewalk sale June 28. Plume opened Nov. 1. It started with just wanting to dig through all the stuff she had here, Gilion said. “It was her life’s treasures.” Being a creative person and in marketing she thought those treasures could be arranged a bit better. “When I looked at her (business) card I could see what her vision was,” Gilion said. “She had things set up much differently.” And Plume is a place set up much differently than a typical resale/consignment shop. Everything is strategically placed for the maximum effect. Gilion wanted the shop to look cohesive and have areas of the home that are well represented. In addition to the various handmade items, vintage pieces share center stage alongside modern décor. And don’t forget the homemade bakery items and coffee available. “This really wasn’t my
idea,” Gilion insists. “I think I’ve taken the heart of [Patty’s] original idea and brought it to life. She really deserves the credit for putting a shop in this space and pouring her heart into all the treasures she had. I just came along at the right time. “I think my story is a little bit different because it was just one of those things that just happened.” Even if the opportunity popped up at random, this isn’t the first go at retail for Gilion. She and her husband took a shot at opening a retail store more than 10 years ago in a different city. Things didn’t work out, but she is learning from her mistakes.
We thought we HAD to have the credit card reader and the software to go along with it. Turns out we didn’t HAVE to have any of it, Gilion said. When I think back, that was a huge chunk of our startup (costs). Gilion swipes credit cards and records transactions all on her iPad through an attachable card reader and an app that connects directly to her bank account. She cut out the Internet and telephone service and runs everything, including a wireless hot spot, through her cell phone. Other costs she’s avoided: high rent and inventory. “We had a huge amount of money tied up in inventory
and we started out with a huge amount of debt,” she said. “I’ve minimized that aspect.” As a consignment store, inventory is next to irrelevant. “It was important that I created a shop unique enough that people would go visit it regardless of where it was located,” she said, attributing much of her success to her vendors. “I do everything I can to promote and sell their merchandise, but at the same time they are all in their individual social circles talking about the fact that their merchandise is at Plume. I have a lot of help marketing just through that word of
“It was important that I created a shop u n i q u e enough that people would go v i s i t i t r e g a r d l e s s of where it was located.”
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mouth. It’s kind of like a business network.” Plume is also outside the city limits and rents from a space that was grandfathered in to zoning and retail. It has been beneficial for Gilion because she hasn’t had to go through much of the permitting red tape. Most of the money invested in her shop was spent on refurbishing the space, which came from personal savings. “I probably would not have done it had we not had just a small amount of money and had I not been in a position where my kids would start kindergarten next fall.” Gilion has three children, 5-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a 2-year-old daughter. Even though Plume is only open part time, Gilion
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She’s been able to compete with other consignment-based stores by taking less commission from her vendors. Competing consignment stores take 40 to 50 percent commission. Plume charges 30 percent. “ I th i n k th a t m a k e s i t m o r e a tt r a c t i v e . ” said the paperwork is almost full time in and of itself. The biggest challenge has been balancing work and family, she said. The shop is only open three days, 26 hours per week. Some of her vendors help man the shop on occasion, but mostly it’s all her. She’s been able to compete with other consignment-based stores by taking less commission from her vendors. Competing consignment stores take 40 to 50
percent commission. Plume charges 30 percent. “I think that makes it more attractive,” she said. “In November I was pretty desperate to fill up the shop so I would have probably taken anything.” Vendors are now coming to her. Most are local, stay-at-home moms. “They are women with a lot of creative talent who wanted an outlet to sell their things,” she said. A few vendors have been around since before Plume
even opened. Gilion has been able to meet all of the expenses since opening, but doesn’t take home any pay. Plume saw a slight profit in December. Retail is slow after the holidays, the new owner explained, but sales in January are doing much better than anticipated. Gilion is hopeful she will recoup her startup investment at the end of the first year of business. So far, she’s right on track.