Last week I visited Stratford, a small town about two hours west of Toronto, famous for its annual Stratford Festival.
Each year, The Festival presents a selection of plays featuring those of Shakespeare but also offering a variety of other types of plays and musicals to choose from too.
Currently in it’s 65th year, The Stratford Festival has attracted actors the calibre of Christopher Plummer, Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith and countless others; some once they’ve reached fame, some on their way up, and some, like Plummer, both.
Stratford is also famous for another reason. It’s the hometown of Justin Bieber.
This small town holds a special place in my heart since I’ve been attending their Festival semi-regularly since I was a little girl.
Stratford has managed to retain its charm with its downtown core lined with local shops, restaurants and inns, all still within the original buildings that established the structure of the town. No big box take-over or chain-stores from the U.S. (At least not in this part of town.) When you shop here, you truly are supporting the local families.
Here’s where you come in…
During my visit, I made a point of popping into a little shop I had visited a few years ago. I wanted to see if they were still in business which can be a difficult thing in a small town with a seasonal tourist draw.
The shop is owned by two young girls in their early-mid twenties. When I first came across them, I was with my sisters and as we poked around their shop, we asked them questions and listened to their story.
They were long-time friends, had recently graduated college/university and had always wanted to own a shop together. We loved their products – mostly scarfs and jewelry, some of which were made by them. My sisters and I each bought a few things.
The next year, I popped back in and bought something else.
As I strolled the streets on this visit, I was happy to see they were still open and appeared to be doing well.
I was greeted by one of the cheery girls. I told her I was glad to see that her shop was still there since she always carries such lovely products. She remembered me and also remembered that the first time I had been there, it was on their opening day. She was now celebrating with a third anniversary sale!
They still carry the lovely scarves (which are actually large “ponchos” which she happily demonstrates can be worn 4 different ways) but now the ones they sell are silk-screened with patterns made exclusively for them. They were gorgeous!
They also carried a line of very unique necklaces of which I now regret not buying; each pendent was a single or half butterfly wing covered in resin. The butterflies are from Cambridge University’s butterfly breeding project and these are the wings of butterflies that had died naturally and some of the proceeds go back into funding the breeding project. They were so beautiful, partly because of the gorgeous colours of nature but also because the back and front of the wings were so different; it was like you got two necklaces in one.
Even though this time I walked away empty-handed, (I’ve just booked another trip), I was happy to see the progression of their success.
Their offerings had increased in uniqueness, quality and in price accordingly.
To me this meant they were growing, as a business and as individuals.
They were growing in confidence, keeping to their vision of bringing in items that were unique and brought them joy – you could feel it in her enthusiasm as she showed us her items.
They were also meeting their target market’s interest. (From at least May to Oct., this town is swarming with women who have disposable income and who like high style and fashion.)
My visit got me thinking…
It’s the connection I had with them because of their willingness to share their story, their enthusiasm and energy behind their work, and the stories behind the items they source for their shop.
Think about where you can share your stories and how you can have conversations with your prospects. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- in person, Skype chats, phone calls
- through your About page
- on social media
- your newsletters
Sharing your stories help to make you memorable and endearing, and are an easy way to connect authentically.
Feel free to reach out if you’d like to chat about how you can better connect with your target market.
P.S. If you get to Stratford, be sure to pop into Kismet on Downie Street and say ‘Hi’ to the girls for me!
photo credit: Christopher Plummer as Prospero in The Tempest. Photography by David Hou. – David Hou, Stratford Shakespeare Festival
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