Today we’d like to introduce you to Perri Salka

Hi Perri, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

Having been a part of the arts community in New York for nearly 20 years, I find great joy in introducing others to the immense talent living right under our noses. When I launched The WonderMart in 2019 it quickly became the physical expression of the things I love most in this world and truly my passion project in this lifetime. Born out of a love for all things handmade and the urge to help support the immense talent living right under our noses, I connect with emerging brands and independent makers from across New York State to bring conscious consumers a unique collection of handcrafted finds for the home and body. From humble beginnings 4 years ago, selling from a small curated table at a local makers market to opening my first brick-and-mortar shop in Greenpoint in late 2022 – my business has continued to flourish year over year and I’ve shared in success with over 300 creatives (and growing)!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Running a small business is rarely a smooth road. Having never worked a day in retail in my life prior to launching The WonderMart, I have had to teach myself practically everything I know about business operations, marketing, sales and merchandising (…the list goes on). I currently operate as a one-woman-show, slowly planning for the day I can afford to hire a sales associate or paid intern. Each day is a new opportunity to try and do something better or different than the day before. But sometimes, iterating in a ‘vacuum’ can be quite lonely and complicated at times. You do a lot of second guessing and stalling. And through this process I have learned that I can’t expect perfection right out of the gate and that I must push myself to reach out to my community more often for help and feedback. We just can’t do it ALL alone and that’s okay! But perhaps the biggest struggle I have encountered while running my business is finding a balance between my personal life and the day to day needs of my shop. Unfortunately, I have experienced quite a bit of loss in my family over the last 5 years and finding the strength and courage to continue moving forward and focusing on the growth of my business has been the ultimate test. Thankfully I have an excellent therapist that has helped me through the toughest parts of grief and a very supportive husband that has worked shifts at my shop to give me some time off to rest and recoup when I’ve needed it most. You can never quite predict how life will unfold at times and so I have done my best to bounce back after each experience and remember to give myself grace to just be a little bit of a mess sometimes. We’re only human after all.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

At the age of 14, I got my first job bussing tables at a local seafood restaurant on Long Island. I continued to work in various high
end restaurants across Long Island and then NYC, working my way up to Server, then Floor Manager until the age of 28 when I got engaged and decided it was time for a change of pace. Having never worked outside of the Hospitality Industry until then, it was challenging to think of what else I might be capable of in the 9-5 world. I soon found a natural interest in Office Management and spent the next 9 years working for a tech Start-Up for Architects and then a Global Interior Design Firm, in various roles within the People Operations Team. All the while, in the background, longing for a way to nourish my creative side. Having graduated with a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC in 2009, I had tried my hand at making a career out of Art, experiencing a few short years of success getting my work into group shows and selling to various collectors, but that again changed when I got engaged. I was forced to give up my art studio in order to save money for a wedding and found it challenging to continue an art practice from home. Fast forward to 2018 — I was growing a deeply meaningful friendship with a woman named Christina. Her entrepreneurial spirit was infectious. We would get together regularly and Christina would often tell me about her next great idea for making it BIG. One day I got the courage to share an idea with her that I had on my mind for years. I told her about wanting to run a retail shop that provided a platform for local makers to thrive. Long story short – she very enthusiastically understood my vision and encouraged me to pursue it. The very next day, I took a huge leap of faith and LLC’d The WonderMart. My 9-5 career continued to grow alongside my new found pursuit and in my nights and weekends off, I started coming up with a business plan. Fast forward to February 2024 — after working 7 days a week, juggling a full time day job and running my small business, I got laid off from my day job and have suddenly found myself forced into living the dream I had wanted for years, but didn’t quite know how to make a reality. Today, I work full time for myself and I am still figuring out how to grow the business enough in order to be able to pay myself a real salary – but I know I will find a way to make it work. When I look back on the span of my career, there is a common thread of community woven throughout. Working in Hospitality for 14 years taught me how to be a people person, communicate effectively and operate well under pressure. Those skills followed me as I changed careers into Office Management and ultimately when I started my own small business and I am so excited to see how the rest of this year unfolds!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?

Starting my small business was the single biggest risk I have ever taken in my life. With practically zero knowledge of how to run a retail shop (as I mentioned earlier), I relied heavily on some of my other natural strengths (people skills, community building and a good eye), the support of my amazing family and a whole lot of creativity to get The WonderMart off the ground. In 2022 I decided it was time to take another big risk and open a brick-and-mortar shop for The WonderMart. My finances miraculously fell into place in order for me to put down a very large security deposit and sign a lease for a 300 square foot space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This decision was a true game-changer for my business and I hit my first 6 figure year in 2023, with sales continuing to grow in an upward trajectory year over year since then. I do believe that I have always been a bit of a risk-taker (or maybe more of a rule breaker in my youth that evolved into being a risk-taker in my adult life). I like to think I have a good internal balance of pragmatism to impulsivity. I definitely weight the pros and cons before taking a leap of faith. But I know a lot of people that do the same thing and just never take the leap. I am not sure why I am the way that I am, but to me, there’s never an option to fail when you take a risk to try something new. I strongly believe that you can and should just pivot when faced with a dilemma rather than giving up when things get hard. I also revel in the opportunity to meet a challenge head on. I think this has been what get’s me through the up’s and down’s of running a small business and always with a smile on my face.

Pricing:

• CanvasRebel Readers – Enjoy 10% off your next online purchase with code: CanvasRebel 10 at checkout. Visit www.thewondermart.shop

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thewondermart.shop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop_thewondermart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewondermart
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-wondermart-brooklyn

Image Credits

The WonderMart @shop_thewondermart
James O’Connor @joc_dop
Constance Faulk @constancefaulkphotography