|
Ott quietly helping Menomonie's downtown
 |
| Even as big box stores and malls dominate the retail trade, Sandy Ott, owner of Menomonie’s Ms. Ellaneous, has remained a believer in downtown. Photo by Joel Becker.
|
|
|
By Kay Kruse-Stanton
Depending on the weather, the door to Ms. Ellaneous may stay open a few inches when a customer enters the store. Owner Sandy Ott doesn't say anything; she quietly goes to the door and gently pulls it shut.
Her building on Main Street in downtown Menomonie is old, as are many of the buildings in that area. Ott says part of maintaining a presence in downtown Menomonie — part of keeping the downtown a vital center for business — is providing a little T.L.C. when needed.
That's been her approach for more than 30 years of working in retail on Menomonie's Main Street. Mary Solberg, executive director of Main Street Menomonie Inc., described Ott's impact on the city's business scene as "subtle, but vital. She's quiet, in the background. But she's always there."
Ott's introduction to retail came more than three decades ago, when she and her husband operated Reed's Shoe Store. After that business closed, the building stood empty for a little more than a year. Ott then opened Ms. Ellaneous, a boutique offering fashions, jewelry, gift items and footwear for women.
"I have spent more hours in this building than I have in any home," Ott quips, and it's probably true.
As malls started gaining popularity years ago, there was concern that Menomonie's downtown was doomed. Some businesses opted out, seeking locations closer to the malls and the traffic they inspired. Others — Ott included — dug in and found a new way of doing business.
"In the shoe store days we always had a downtown promotions group. When the malls came in there was a group that still worked hard to keep the downtown together. Out of that we got the Main Street program going," she said. "There was a group of us that just wouldn't let it die."
For a time, Ott said, that meant holding special promotions and finding ways to direct attention to what the downtown merchants have to offer. But slowly, Ott said, the profile of shoppers changed.
"We had a lot of promotions. We really worked at it," she said. "But when the malls came in, that changed. The old promotions don't work any more."
Before the malls, Menomonie's shopping area included Elmwood, Spring Valley, Boyceville and other small towns in the region, Ott said. Families came to town for a Thursday or Friday evening of shopping. She remembers the time when a popcorn wagon set up on Main Street on those summer nights, and did a thriving business.
"People would stop at Coffin's (Department Store) and maybe buy an outfit, then come to the shoe store for shoes, and then maybe go to Anshus for a piece of jewelry or something," Ott said.
Her store and a handful of others have been anchor stores in Menomonie for decades. All have survived changes in retail, Solberg said, because they have found a way to provide what the malls cannot. They were even able to weather four years of on-again, off-again road construction several years ago that severely affected the core of downtown, Solberg said.
"If you could pick the kind of business owner you'd want in your downtown, Sandy would be one of them," Solberg said.
Ott and other downtown business owners accommodate the new type of shopper with personalized service — and it works.
"People are focused when they shop downtown," Ott said. "People are working — both spouses are working, and caring for the kids. They don't have much time. We change windows every week. Maybe she's seen something in the window, and it's interesting and so she'll stop in to get it. She's not necessarily shopping at the other stores in the downtown area. My customers seem to be that focused."
Although there is no formal policy or format, downtown merchants tend to promote each other, Ott said — in a way that provides further service to the customers. The customers are in the store, they've expressed an interest or need, and perhaps a nearby downtown merchant can help meet that need, she said.
Some people believe finding a parking space in downtown Menomonie can be a problem. Ott welcomes opportunities to prove them wrong.
"There is parking. I have two spaces behind my store. I have a couple of customers from Eau Claire, and I know when they come, they're going to be here for a couple of hours. I tell them to park behind the store," she said. "If people are here and they get a parking ticket, I'll pay it for them. I'll plug the meter for people who are shopping here. There is parking."
She's shown her dedication to the greater Menomonie area beyond the immediate boundaries of her store. In past years, Ott served on committees, as secretary/treasurer, and as director of the Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce. She's worked closely with Menomonie's Downtown Business Association, has been active in the Chippewa Valley Convention Bureau, was a member of the Main Street Preservation Board, and has become increasingly active in the Menomonie Rotary Club.
In 2003, the Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce recognized Ott for her contributions by naming her the Small Business Person of the Year — an honor, she said, that took her completely by surprise.
Looking at Ott's educational and employment background, it's something of a surprise that she chose a career in retail.
She's a Menomonie High School graduate, and earned a degree in English at McCalaster College. She taught English at three schools before leaving teaching and entering retail.
"I like the challenge of it," she said. "I love retail, and I love people. I think the thing that keeps me going here is the challenge."
The challenges these days, she says, include getting people to give the downtown area a chance. Menomonie's downtown merchants have promotions throughout the summer months, and that's helping to make the area something of a destination, she said.
As she and husband Leo Schindler travel — often by motorcycle — through small towns, Ott likes to analyze the downtown areas they pass through, noticing the mix of stores, store names and the overall look of the business district.
She notices when the downtown area has little touches that make it more attractive to shoppers and visitors. Good store displays, clean sidewalks, flowers and other amenities help welcome people to the area.
That — and a little extra service — will go a long way to keeping a downtown area healthy, she says.
And so when a customer leaves Ms. Ellaneous, if the weather conditions are just right and the door to the old building doesn't fully close, Ott walks to the door and pulls it shut. A little T.L.C. goes a long way.
Kay Kruse-Stanton is a freelance writer from Menomonie. Contact the Chippewa Valley Business Report at (715) 723-5515 or through www.chippewavalleybusinessreport.com.
Email this story
Print this story
|
