By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Grand Rapids’ East Hills business district is arguably one of the hottest retail areas in the city, and much of its success is due to several shop owners in the 900 block of Cherry Street SE doing something unusual—they collaborate rather than compete.
“We literally shop together [for inventory] to help each other brand our businesses,” says Susan Walborn, owner of Yours Truly and YT Galleria. “YT Galleria carried a hat line, but we knew Pink Blvd. would sell more of the hats, so we don’t carry them anymore, Pink carries them.”
The core group of four shops—YT Galleria, Yours Truly, Pink Blvd., and New Design Floral—have done even more. When Yours Truly recently relocated down the street, Walborn and her husband, John, didn’t want to leave the landlord without a tenant, so they lined up a new business for the space, New Design Floral. For a year prior, Yours Truly didn’t have any storage space, so the owners of Pink Blvd. across the street let them store products in their basement at no cost.
The stores even share mannequins, cabinets and furniture used for displays. More importantly, they share their customers. Each store draws its own clientele to the district, and that exposes the stores to a larger customer base. Store owners have gone so far as to walk customers to another store and introduce them.
“When we do that,” Walborn says, “we’re saying ‘this is a good business.’”
The four stores will celebrate New Design Floral’s grand opening, Pink Blvd.’s one-year anniversary, and the expansions of Yours Truly, YT Galleria and David & Bathsheba on September 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event features live music, local designers, a wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, desserts and drawings for prizes from each store.
Source: Susan Walborn, YT Galleria and Yours Truly
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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