Not only that, when you walk in you don't feel welcome at all, you feel like there are a bunch of workers looking. Used to love this store back in the day, but their prices markups are RIDICULOUS. They knew exactly what size to use and were super friendly. “The last week of March was the busiest week ever in over 50 years,” he exclaimed, “and the week before was the second, so retirement may not be in the picture anytime soon.I got an ear piercing here years ago, and when the earring came out I was able to walk in and get a new one for 8 bucks. Tom is no longer a smoker, but enjoys his wine, and even though he “tried” to retire at age 77, he finds himself in the shop daily. The smoke and head shop do well on their own, and Pierson shared that it grosses about one million annually, and commends managers Dalena Camper and Rick Z. “Everything you want, but not everything you need,” and “Toys for Heads” are two of their slogans, and along with the thousands of SKUs they carry, they also have glassware from the cheapies to high end custom work. They also recently added an adult section. In 1998 they added body piercing, and later tattoos, but piercing remains the most profitable department at Kaleidoscope. Since his daughter, Whitney, and manager, Kim, are both decades younger than he, he follows their insight on products and lines to carry. “We also give bonuse s throughout the year,” he shared, “and I try to create a sense of fun at the store. “I know because I counted 28 Easter baskets,” he said. He trusts his wife’s opinions, and does the same thing with his people, which is now number 28. And w i th a population of just under 200,000, Springfield is not your typical “college town, ” since two of the three major universities are religious schools. When you think of head shops, Missouri does not appear at first glance to be an optimal state. “I joke and say we only moved 32 feet after 32 years since our new location is literally next door. That was in the late 70’s and they kept their same single location until 2004, when they finally move d into larger quarters with about 6000 sq. For two years we hoped that the customers on the other side of town would go to our new shop, but they ended up coming back here! E xpansion is tough, and one is enough! F un and adventure is even better!” “It was a failure, ” Pierson confided, “and not worth the trouble. He gives all his employees latitude to learn and grow on their own.Īfter six years they tried to duplicate the success of the first Kaleidoscope shop and opened a second one on the other side of town. H is policy of giving leeway transitioned into the shop, and he has had great managers over the years. Tom shared that he always considered being the captain of his own ship to be the most important decision in his business life. Later they turned the upstairs into a head shop, and even in the very conservative Bible Belt, never had any push back. They wanted to open their own shop, so they found a small house for a record store and lived upstairs. T hey didn’t have to support this baby, and instead, this baby has supported them! Not a child, but the start of Kaleidoscope in Springfield, t h e most prominent smoke and head shop in the state of Missouri. “ No matter what she asks for or says, my answer is the same : ‘honey whatever you want to do is fine with me.’”Īnd that policy has worked since he and his wife, Pam, married in 1971, and in less than one year had their first baby. Tom Pierson offers sage marital advi c e after almost a half century of being married.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |