We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Arvanitis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.
Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
Being a business owner definitely has its perks – being able to make your own schedule and be your own boss is definitely nice! However, that “schedule” usually tends to be 24/7 and being your own boss also means paying all the bills. For the first five years of having the storefront, I worked full time as a paralegal while my sister ran the store. Of course, having a steady paycheck and benefits (oh, the health insurance!!), my heart was always with the store and the ultimate goal was to be there full time, which I was eventually able to end up doing during Covid of all times!
This year has been one of the more trying times as a small business owner, especially in the retail world. In addition to the storefront, I also opened a small event space this year, on the second floor of my brick + mortar. As consumers have struggled to make ends meet, things like buying gifts or renting a space for a celebration have taken a bit of a backseat. Paying the bills while also keeping the store stocked has been exhausting and has made me think about making some tough decisions for the store’s future. To me, despite these challenges, there is nothing better than owning my own business and seeing the impact that it makes on my local community. I’ve had to get more creative with marketing, adding on more events to bring people into the store. While I sometimes miss the less stressful times of having a full time job being employed by someone, I truly hope to never have to go back to that.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Marley Mae Market + Paperie is a fun and unique gift store that has a little something for everyone. I often joke that curating all of the merchandise that I bring is another full-time job, and I truly spend a ton of time seeking out small businesses with unique goods that I can bring to my customers. The shop has so many fun gift ideas that you can’t find anywhere else in my town, and I think customers can tell how much love I put into choosing each and every item that they see in the store – and I love hearing their laughs as they peruse through the shelves! Beyond the items that I order wholesale, I also create invitations also make products with my laser (including custom designs), which brings a little more unique flair to the shop.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Marley Mae started out as a creative outlet for me – I enjoyed designing invitations, beginning with my own housewarming party invitation, and then began to make them for friends and family. Through word of mouth, I turned it into an actual business and continued with invitations, and added on creating business materials and party decorations, and eventually began creating things like graphic tees, drinkware and other gifts. I rented space within other small businesses and dreamed of opening my own storefront one day – which ended up happening sooner than I thought possible when a great opportunity for a low-rent space became available! The store has grown from a tiny little cottage hidden away in Ocala’s downtown streets to now being a much larger location right in the prime historic downtown square.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Marley Mae has a loyalty program through our payment processor (Square), which gives customer one “star” for every $15 spent in-store. Once they accumulate 10 stars they can redeem them for $5 off their purchase – and I love the excitement they have when they get the little “surprise” of having that reward available!
I also have a VIP group on Facebook, where members are given sneak peeks and first dibs of new items that are coming in the shop. I will also post clearance items or mystery grab bags within this group, which don’t always make it to our “mainstream” customers. The group is also very helpful for me to run ideas by, including products I’m thinking of bringing in or events I’m considering hosting. I also offer random $5 account credits for their feedback, which encourages group participation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marleymaemarket.com
- Instagram: @marleymaemarket
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marleymaemarket
Image Credits
Personal photo – Jenny E Photography First two relevant photos – Brittany Bishop Photography