Sep

11

East Meets West, Meets West: Part Six.

Filed Under Life Slice 

Paper Place Sign

The street started to define an upcoming, tony neighborhood. Head-hunters replaced hippies as the new working order. The crowd was younger and the artists were older. When the American retailers moved in, it became obvious: there was no going back.

At The Japanese Paper Place, two kinds of business had developed: the scrapbooking set and the experienced artists. One group needed help coordinating paper and card; the other, the subtle qualities of the paper. Satisfying both types of clients well, proved difficult. More importantly, for Nancy, the store was moving in a direction away from her original intent. In the end, she would have to decide on how to support the people she felt most comfortable with–the older established community of artists–while someone else, better equipped, could look after the Blackberry bunch. Someone possibly younger. Preferred crooner over choral. Capable to revitalize the atmosphere in the store, once again.

Kevin Anderson started working at The Japanese Paper Place in 2002. He was hired, by Nancy, as store manager. He had been a Japanese Paper Place customer for years. For Kevin, working at the shop, was ideal.

Nancy and Kevin had gone back and forth many times about the possibility of running the shop. The business would be a big undertaking; for Kevin, a difficult obstacle to overcome. Although he was intimately familiar with many day-to-day tasks specific to running a retail operation, he still needed to quickly assimilate responsibilities required in owning a business. Kevin’s background was in design. He was more of a creative thinker. Plus, the store had grown too much to take care of on one’s own. However, when a new sales associate arrived, that all would change. Running the business could be possible.

Heather Sauer was hired in 2004. Her sister Ali, worked at Chippy’s, the fish ‘n’ chip shop next door. She had noticed the sign on the store, “Now Hiring.”

Up to this point, Heather had mainly worked in arts administration. She too, came from a creative background. Many times, she had dreamt of owning her own business but had lacked the motivation to do so on her own.

Growing-up, The Japanese Paper Place was Heather’s favourite store. As a child, she had often visited with her aunt. The place had charm. Now, employed at the shop, she could provide that same magical experience to others. Within a year of being hired, she was promoted from Associate to Assistant Manager. Together, Kevin and Heather could manage the store.

The transition wouldn’t be easy. Many customers held a “fierce loyalty” to how the store looked and was run. Kevin and Heather were faced with a year’s worth of paperwork to get the business in working order. But both partners had a plan.

Paper Place Window Display

They freshened up the place; ordered materials to change the shelving to expand the space. They organized the paper products by colour. They streamlined the fixtures and edited the invitation-only papers. Their aim was to make the shop accessible for everyone–to be inclusive and inspiring. “The paper, should never, intimidate.”

Workshops, continued. Upholding Nancy’s values were important too. That’s one of the reasons why Kevin and Heather chose to name their store, “The Paper Place.” The title respected their mentor’s image while simultaneously carving out their own identity too.

For retail sale, The Paper Place is the key customer of The Japanese Paper Place. TO BE CONTINUED….

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