Diana Kirk, owner of Oshawa staple, The Gift House, learned a lot about retail from her mom, Wilma. Wilma founded the store with two friends, and perhaps the biggest lesson she taught Diana over the years was never go alone to buy stock!
“Mom opened the store in 1973 and went into partnership with two girlfriends,” says Diana. “They all had totally different tastes, which they put to good use during stock buying excursions. They’d all go for different items so they had a balanced stock that suited a range of customer tastes.”
Today, Diana’s store manager always takes at least one member of the staff to trade shows and suppliers so they can pick and choose a variety of gifts together and fill the store shelves with an eclectic selection of quality wares.
