Today we’d like to introduce you to Therese Deutschlander
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started working in a customer service oriented job when I was 14 and quickly realized how much I loved being of service to others. I kept that same job until I graduated from college with an English degree while simultaneously working in retail. Right after graduation I continued to work in retail and also worked as a communications coordinator for a disability rights advocacy group. I knew that retail and that level of customer service was my passion so when a few retail stores near me announced they were closing I looked into why, ascertained it was for personal reasons and not due to lack of business, and decided to open my own, focused on providing a place for local artists to sell their work to the local community. I opened my store, Thin Ice, with about a dozen local artists in 2006 and have over 230 as of 2024. The local artist community is amazing and the local residents really appreciate supporting local artists and local stores. The area where my store is located is called the Elmwood Village and there is a non profit organization called the Elmwood Village Association that functions to create a safe place to live, work, play and prosper within the Elmwood Village. Since 2018 I have been able to work with the Elmwood Village Association to help bridge the local businesses with the community as President of the Board of Directors and I am so grateful for the opportunity.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been an interesting road! I opened in 2006 and there was a financial crash in 2008 but fortunately, because I was so new, I was still living off of the loan I got to open my store so I was minimally affected. I paid off the loan, expanded my store, and carried on until Covid. That, too, was okay because I already had a website set up so I just shifted my focus to bolstering that and I had more online shopping events, which I’d already been doing. So all in all I’d say I’ve been pretty lucky. Of course there are the little obstacles along the way, construction outside the store, vacant storefronts nearby, broken bones, snowstorms (I am in Buffalo, after all), etc but all of that is temporary and not insurmountable.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Thin Ice Gift Shop?
Thin Ice is a gift shop in the heart of the Elmwood Village, a quaint neighborhood in Buffalo, NY. Thin Ice specializes in supporting local artists by selling their handmade items. Jewelry, pottery, glass, metal, fiber, wood, skincare, candles and more, Thin Ice is like an outdoor art festival but indoors and open 360 days a year. We are known for the amount of local artists we support (over 230!) and the quality of work. We love working with artists who haven’t sold in a store before, educating them on the process, helping them see their worth and watching them grow. We also love working with our local community of customers to help them find the perfect gift or, just as importantly, to be a friendly face or empathetic ear should they need some uplifting. We have a store cat so that also helps ensure people leave with a smile on their faces. We love and are known for our level of customer service and the fact that we truly care about our customers and our artists and feel really lucky to be in a position to connect the two. We try to convey that through our website as well and believe it is so important to support local artists and local businesses first, before just ordering everything from overseas because it’s cheaper. With our website we strive to support more of our artists through a broader audience because they are so talented and deserve to be appreciated near and far.
We are also known for our gemstone knowledge and work with customers who come in with specific issues or situations so we can recommend a specific gemstone to help them. All of the jewelry in the store is made with gemstones which enables us to further help our customers find a meaningful gift for themselves or someone in their lives. This definitely sets us apart from other stores in the area.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Knowing you don’t know everything is very helpful for finding a mentor. There are so many facets to owning and running a business and no one can know how to do all of them so recognizing that and being willing to ask for and accept help is crucial to succeed. I work with a local college in my area that has a strong small business development center and also surround myself with people more educated and more successful than myself and I actively listen whenever they are speaking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thiniceonline.com
- Instagram: thinicegiftshop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinIceGiftShop
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-deutschlander-01427a33/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinice8309
