Jul 24, 2023
With host retail coach Wendy Batten
https://wendybatten.com/167/
Show Notes:
Today on the podcast, I’m talking with artist and
retailer Deanne Fitzpatrick of Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio about her
passion as an artist to keep people connected through creativity.
This episode is all about keeping passion in your retail business.
For Deanne and her customers, rug hooking is a meditative “place to
go,” much like journaling, exercise, or prayer. She has been slowly
growing and building her creative retail business from an in-home
studio to a downtown retail space in Amherst, Nova Scotia with a
team of 14 over the past 30 years.
“When I’m creating … My intention is to create from a
place of soulfulness.” Deanne Fitzpatrick
Deanne explains throughout the episode that her
business centers around her passion for the art of rug hooking.
Over the years, she has been able to expand her business by adding
revenue streams that are compatible and complementary to selling
not only everything her rug hooking customers need but also her
finished pieces, monthly subscriptions, kits, memberships,
retreats/workshops, wholesale, and authoring multiple books.
One of the things Deanne highlights in our
conversation is that not all opportunities are ones you should jump
on; or, in other words, just because you can, doesn’t mean you
should.
The business advice she has always given and follows
is to center your business around what you are most passionate
about. We love this advice.
Deanne has also put a lot of effort and focus on
community and making her studio space feel like “home.” A few
examples she gives is that she offers her customers tea and her rug
runners in the shop are handmade and comfy, not industrial. She
also has bunting hanging from the ceilings so her shop feels and
looks more like a working studio than a retail shop.
Atmosphere and vibe matter.
“I think of my business as an art project.” – Deanne
Fitzpatrick
Deanne is clear with her role in her business: (1)
making art (2) writing (3) guidance and business development. She
employs capable, passionate people and empowers them with the
knowledge and opportunity to make decisions and to help with the
rest.
“In being good to our customers, we also have to be
fair to ourselves and our staff.” – Deanne Fitzpatrick
We also touched a bit on social media marketing as
well. Deanne’s advice is to pay close attention to the marketing
efforts of someone you have chosen to follow closely. Being a
“follower” of someone else’s business online can remind us what our
followers may want/need from us.
In the Words of Deanne:
“I hook nearly every day. I cannot stop myself. I like
the feel of wool slipping through my fingers. My goal is to live
simply, and make hooked rugs that are unmistakably art.
Rug hooking is full of possibilities. It has changed
my life, and been a powerful force in changing the lives of the
people I have met through it. I have learned that art, craft and
handmade can totally change the way you view the world and how you
feel about it.
My style of rug hooking, with its meditative
qualities, and its freedom from rules adds beauty to our world and
is therapeutic on its own. It is joyful, powerful and
transformative. It is not about being perfect, it is about creating
beauty everyday.
I have a retail studio in Amherst Nova Scotia where I
work with an amazing group of talented people. We create classes,
kits, patterns and supplies available online. I have written eight
books about creativity and rug hooking, and exhibited widely in
public and private galleries.”
Visit Deanne in her studio or online at
www.hookingrugs.com
Related podcasts we think you’ll like:
Episode
149: Retailer Success Stories: How Two Friends Turned a
Creative Hobby into a Successful Retail Business
Episode
106: Multi-Passionate Jo Packham and The Creative Business
Journey
Episode
35: Five Tips for Finding Success as a Creative Retailer
About your host, Wendy Batten
In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Wendy, a small
business coach and founder of the
Retailer’s Inner Circle, where I help other independent shop
owners learn how to gain the right business skillsets to see more
profits, paychecks, and joy as they navigate running their retail
business.
Through online classes, business coaching programs,
speaking, and a top-ranked podcast,
I’ve helped hundreds of retailers around the globe reclaim their
dream and see the success they want from their beautiful shops. my
signature private coaching community, The
Retailer’s Inner Circle, has helped retailers around the world
build their retail business skill sets and confidence.
I am proud to have been featured in several major
publications, including my own business column in What Women Create
magazine. I have been privileged to be a guest on top-ranked
podcasts and sought-after as a guest speaker and teacher for
several brands, associations, and communities that are passionate
about the success of independent retailers.
When I’m not coaching, you will find me either DIYing
and renovating my very imperfect old crooked cottage by the sea in
the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, NS, or blogging about
our travel and RVing adventures and the weird fun things we get up
to in our coastal village. I’d love to invite you to check out one
of my free resources for real retailers at https://wendybatten.com/free-resources/
For more support from Wendy
Retailer’s
Inner Circle – Join Wendy inside the best retailer’s
community
Wendy’s FREE Resources
for shop owners
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All of Wendy’s programs and services for shop owners
can be found HERE.
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