Shop Talk is a weekly column featuring locally owned and operated businesses. This week, we talk to Brigitte Priem, owner of Diastole Country Home Decor and Gifts in Cooperstown.
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Tell me about your business:
It's basically a home furnishings store, but with a rustic feel. All the furniture is made in the United States, and a lot of it is even pretty local _ we work with a few companies that are based in New York, there's a lot from Pennsylvania, and we're looking at getting some things from a company in Vermont. A lot of the pieces are handmade, especially the home decor. We have drapes, placemats, candles and that sort of thing, as well as big and small furniture pieces. If I had to define it, I'd say we just try to find unique, one-of-a-kind items that are special and different.
We're open seven days a week, but we will be closed in January _ that's when we go on our big buying trip. I go down to Atlanta and down to North Carolina, and then when we get back, we rip apart the entire store and sort of rearrange things to freshen it up.
We also do some special events, which are along the same lines as a Tupperware party. There's a hostess who organizes it, and we offer 15 percent off everything to her friends. We provide the wine and the cheese, and it's a private party, so they can just relax and enjoy themselves in the store. For every $50 the others spend, the hostess gets $5 toward anything in the store.
How did you get started in this line of work?
My husband and I have a bed-and-breakfast, and it kind of grew out of that. We spent a lot of time searching for the furniture we wanted to use in the B&B, and during that time, the idea came to me that this is something Cooperstown really needed _ a furniture store.
It definitely grew out of my own taste, because I love the rustic styles _ I'm kind of a log cabin wannabe. But I knew I had to be realistic and that it couldn't all be that way, so we have a real variety of styles now. It's a casual, laid-back environment, which is just what the bed-and-breakfast is like, and it's exactly what I wanted.
I had a lot of people tell me, "This is not Cooperstown." They didn't feel like the rustic style would fit in here, but what has happened is that we've furnished a lot of second homes, a lot of cottages and camps on the lake. And we do get people from around town who are interested in it as well.
Where do you see this business in five years?
I have a lot of dreams. I think we're at a fairly good location, but I'd like to add a second story, or if not that, possibly look at a new location. We would definitely like to have more room. It's hard in Cooperstown _ there's not much property available _ but we're definitely not going anywhere. We're here to stay. We have definitely run out of space, though, so that's an issue.
We have wi-fi here, so it would be really fun to set up a little coffee station so husbands can relax and check their e-mail or whatever while their wives shop.
What have you learned from your work?
There have been some surprises. I wish everyone could own their own business at least once in their life _ it's a very humbling experience. Even if you have a great product and you put it out there, it's not enough to bring in the customers. That's why customer service is really big for us.
What is the hardest thing you have to do?
The furniture has a big-ticket cost, so the investment up front is considerable. When I first started out, I got a lot of requests or advice from friends and customers who had ideas about the things that they would like, and it really was hard to realize that you can't please everybody all the time. You want to listen to what people have to say, but in the end, you just have to stick to what you do and do it well, and realize that it might not be what everyone is going to want.
The most enjoyable?
It feels fun being part of the community. You get to know people and you feel like you're a part of things. It's nice to have the one-on-one experience with people who come in, and offer the services that the big stores can't do. Like when we're away in January, there's still going to be a sign on the door with our phone number, so if people need to reach us, they can. We'll still have our catalogs and we can look something up for them or let them know what we've got. And if you see our ads in the paper, the phone number that's listed there is my home phone. You don't get that at the big department store. If you want to reach someone after closing, there's no one there.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
The Internet has hurt us. You take a place like Cabela's, and it's the size of a shopping mall. They do a lot of lodge furniture, like we do, but for them, their pricing is based on quantity. I think our locals can understand that we don't buy in bulk, and we're not on the major shipping routes, so we're paying a little more for these things. But again, that's why we try to go the extra mile with customer service. We'll actually let people take something home and try it out. They can't believe that. But if you have someone who's just not sure if that couch is going to fit into her living room, I'll say, "You know what, you live right here in town, I have a truck, why don't we bring the floor model over to your house and see what you think." I'd rather do that than have someone who's unhappy or unsatisfied with something they purchased from me.
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To suggest a business for Shop Talk, contact Emily F. Popek at 432-1000, ext. 255, or epopek@thedailystar.com.
