Shopping for the essentials

Essentials’ Carrie Rickards (pictured above) purchased the store over three years ago. This was not an idea that popped up out of the blue for Carrie.

She said she always knew she was going to be some type of entrepreneur. With a background in sewing and fashion the store just fell into place and she has never looked back.

After buying the store she has been trying to streamline the products they sell.

Most of what is in the store now revolves around clothing and sewing and her goal is to work with items in the store that work best for her and her clients.

Trying to understand the workings of a store like this has been a challenge Carrie has met head on.

“It is a ton of change,” she said. “Lots of learning. It is continual because even if you think that you are starting to get it, something else happens and you learn something new.”

Even though this adventure has been a great deal of work for Carrie she would not have it any other way.

“It is all good. I don’t know if I could do something else now because I really like it,” she said.

“It is definitely more than a full-time job. I have a couple of employees who have been working at the store for over 15 years.

“This is not a one-person show. They trained me. I could incorporate the stuff I wanted to bring in and they knew the stuff that didn’t work. It was a great help.”

The store also has space for groups to come in and work on projects together in a larger setting.

“We have quilting and knitting classes. Some of the local guilds will use the room or have special nights,” said Carrie, and added, “The local guilds have their places that they meet but once in a while they like to come here. It turns into a night out from the night out. It works out well because I really enjoy them. They are a great bunch of ladies.”

If you are interested in using her space for a night you would have to contact Carrie at Essentials.

Carrie has also been busy with her family life this year after she adopted a child with her husband.

“It is just hard work trying to balance it all, but so far it is working.”

She is grateful to have a husband who is loving being a stay-at-home dad.

The adoption has just added to the busy side of her life and she gets a little more time away from the store but there are always plans for the future for the store.

“I want to continue on with what we are doing, continue to improve and to learn from our customers. We want to offer things that they are asking for and fill in those needs. It is a continual building so we are not going to get stale.”

Overall the store has changed a great deal over the past three years and those changes will continue to happen. The store itself is ever evolving.

“We are not just your small town department store, we are more of a sewing and clothing store. We have a nice selection of mens’ and ladies’ wear. We have a great sewing section…focused essentials of what people would need,” Carrie said.

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