Small Business Saturday
Today (and everyday) we celebrate you. Last year we shared a couple of your stories and you loved it so much, we decided to do it again! Read on for two stories from inspiring retailers like you.
Hill's Kitchen
Leah Daniels | Washington, DC
15+ years in business!
The philosophy of Hill’s Kitchen is to offer everything for the cook in a lively, homelike store atmosphere with knowledgeable staff and extraordinary service.
15+ years in business!
The philosophy of Hill’s Kitchen is to offer everything for the cook in a lively, homelike store atmosphere with knowledgeable staff and extraordinary service.
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Tell us about your store, community and customers:
Hill’s Kitchen is an independent gourmet kitchenware store that opened in May 2008 adjacent to the Eastern Market Metro station. The store occupies a renovated and extended townhouse built in 1884 in the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
The philosophy of Hill’s Kitchen is to offer everything for the cook in a lively, homelike store atmosphere with knowledgeable staff and extraordinary service. Every product is carefully selected and characterized by excellent design and the highest available quality.Our customers come from our immediate community, but also from all around the world. Because DC is an international destination, we cater to visitors to the Nation's Capital as well as those who live within a short walk.
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What marketing tactics do you use to engage with your customers and get them to shop in your store?
Hill's Kitchen has worked with print advertising (newspapers), sponsored countless neighborhood events, and teamed up with other businesses to promote Capitol Hill to the wider DC audience (public radio).
Our most successful marketing campaign has been a gift card swap with other stores and restaurants in the area. Customers spend money in one business and they then give a gift card to another. It has been wonderful to market the entire community - all ships rise together! Otherwise, our biggest marketing strategy is the location of the store - we are located directly at a metro station. You just have to look to your right when you exit the metro and you will see us!
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What's your favorite thing about being a store owner?
I love getting to know my community and shaping the store's offerings around what they are looking for. It is amazing to have someone mention something they are looking for, and then stock it for their next visit. I am in the store every day and have formed deep connections with our customers over the years.
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Do you give back to your community?
We are involved in our local chamber of commerce (CHAMPS) and love supporting our neighborhood schools and community programs. Of note is that we always sponsor Little League teams (go Hill's Kitchen Nationals!)
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What makes your business unique?
Hill's Kitchen is a retail store, but it is also gathering place and touchstone for many. The store is completely community based, so that means we try to make sure our customers find the right items for their needs - it is not a store to churn people through. People stop in weekly just to say hello and it is wonderful to have their family members make Hill's Kitchen a stop during their visits to DC.
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What's your favorite season to decorate your store?
Halloween! I love the spooky season with both fun and scary themes. Capitol Hill turns out for Halloween and join in. Orange is the store color, so Halloween works well for our orange nature!
What are your favourite Danica items?
Hill's Kitchen has stocked Danica products since the store opened in May 2008! We started with just aprons/mitts/basic soft goods and have expanded our assortment over the years. We love changing the dishtowels with every season and the colorful, ceramic bowls have been unbelievably popular products. We have had great success with tablecloths/napkins, travel mugs, and even serving pieces!
Whisk Victoria
Elaun Cable | Victoria, BC
10+ years in business!
Whisk Victoria is a small, but mighty, kitchen store in downtown Victoria. We carry a large variety of items to please every level of cook or baker, and our specialty is gadgets. We love to put the fun in functional. Located in the Old Hudson District we get quite a few of our neighbours who live in the condos nearby, but we also have a large number of tourists from all over the world visit, too.
10+ years in business!
Whisk Victoria is a small, but mighty, kitchen store in downtown Victoria. We carry a large variety of items to please every level of cook or baker, and our specialty is gadgets. We love to put the fun in functional. Located in the Old Hudson District we get quite a few of our neighbours who live in the condos nearby, but we also have a large number of tourists from all over the world visit, too.
What's your favorite part about being a store owner?
Browsing through the catalogues and choosing items for my store. There is a certain rush when something I order sells almost immediately out of the box. It's a validation.
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What makes your business unique? Do you give back to your community?
We are proud to be an active part of our community. We are members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, The Downtown Business Association, and Think Local First. All the kitchen stores in the greater Victoria area compliment each other well and while we pride ourselves on our selection of helpful gadgets if we don't have what a customer is looking for we will refer to one of the other local shops. Getting the customer what they need is our definition of good service. Whisk Victoria regularly gives to non-profits when asked for silent auction items and we also donate to causes close to our hearts on special days (on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation we gave a portion of our daily sales to the First Peoples' Cultural Foundation for example).
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What are your favorite Danica items?
I believe Whisk has been a Danica customer from the very beginning - my very first order placed when I took over the store was with Jim as we were getting ready for Christmas.
Our Danica Bestsellers:
Bamboo Spoon (RSVP)
Swedish Sponge Cloth: Coastal Treasures, Happy Camper, Cats Meow (Ecologie)
Check Dishcloths Set of 3 Lemon
Nut Milk Bag
And our very favourite thing is the I Love Small Business tote which we give to our customers when their purchase exceeds $150 ! -
What marketing tactics do you use to engage with your customers and get them to shop in your store?
We have a Facebook page and use Instagram to promote special days and highlight new or returning items. We recently took a giant leap and sponsored the Cookin' On The Road segment of a locally produced cooking show called Cooking On The Coast which airs on CHEK on Saturdays at 6 pm. We were fortunate to have Chef Heidi visit our store and record a Cookin' On The Road segment with us. She models the Now Design Field Mushrooms Chef Apron and matching oven mitts. You can watch the video here.
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What's your favorite season to decorate your store?
We put up seasonal decorations for Hanukkah / Christmas, blue lights for Thinking Day (Girl Guides), and hang the Pride flag during Victoria Pride. We do try to theme items in a display around "holidays" like Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Valentine's Day. We also group things for special days like National Dog Day and create reels for Instagram.