‘Women In Business’ week – 3rd full week in October

“Men tend to be great at finances and insurance, while women seem to be better at marketing, displays, and really getting to know their customers’ wants and needs,” explains Mrs. Mary Small (bottom right), owner of Accessories Etc. of Fairfield.

The ‘Times’ is celebrating Women in Business this week, and in keeping with the theme, we sat down with one of Fairfield’s most well-known woman in business, Mary Small, to find out what it’s like to be a female business owner.

Mary, previously a Science teacher at Fairfield Junior High, recounted the story of what inspired her to become a business owner, saying, “When my youngest daughter was getting married in 1999, we wanted to get her registered for the wedding.”

The mother-daughter pair started downtown with the four gift shops that were in business at the time, Accessories Etc. being one of them, at that time owned by Kay Jenkins and ran by Winona Nickel.

“Though we had several gift shops for a town our size, the selection was still very limited,” Mary says. “Winona told us to go to Dillard’s in Waco, pick out what she wanted, and then she could order it for her. It’s just a shame that a store owner must tell you to go out of town to get what you need or want.”

Over the next year or so, business at Accessories Etc. began to dwindle and Mary was approached about buying the store. After much deliberation between herself and husband, John Gordan Small, recently retired Band Instructor for Fairfield ISD, they decided to purchase the business in February of 2001.

The couple revamped the store, giving it a fresh look, and re-opened the doors a month later, with their focus on offering bridal and baby registry, as well as general gifts. Mr. Small ran the store most of the time, with the help of Mrs. Irene Epperson, because Mary was still teaching. When she retired in December of 2004, she then began to run the store full-time, with the assistance of Mrs. Epperson.

“We started with limited product, a sales book, and an old timey register that didn’t work, but looked cute, to keep the money in,” she says. “Over the years, we have expanded greatly our products, and now have updated technology for our inventory and register.”

When asked what challenges she feels women face as business owners, she explained that some people think women are pushovers, but “we should be treated with respect.”

Some of the pros of being a woman in business, according to Mary, are getting to shop at market to see what is available to offer new brides and mothers. “It’s hard not to over-purchase, and to remember that I need to buy for my customers, not myself. I also enjoy meeting other women from all over that come through town and stop in my shop,” she says. “And I love talking to new moms and brides, sharing with them useful information, tips and tricks.”

“One of the biggest cons of owning a business is that your closest friends and family expect you to give them special discounts or ask you to special order items for them that they never buy from you,” Mary explained. “Also, you miss out on a lot of events for your kids and/or grandchildren and don’t get the chance to enjoy some of the other small businesses in town because you are not as free to come and go.”
Mary says that she never gets bored. “There is always something to do, and if there isn’t, you can always come up with something.”

The key to running a business, other than the financial side of things, is customer service. “Customer care is essential,” she says. “It is interacting with your customers, getting to know them, making them feel welcome, so they will want to come back.”

Her advice to women who may be looking to start their own business is:

-1. Be wise in your choices.

-2. Know your demographic.

-3. Provide products or services that are not already available in your area.

-4. Just because you like it, doesn’t mean others will.

-5. Make use of the Small Business Administration (Navarro College) before even starting. It’s free.

-6. You need to have at least 6 months of money saved for paying bills and running the business, because there will be slow times.

-7. You need knowledge or experience in bookkeeping and record keeping.

-8. Be able to say ‘NO.’

-9. Sometimes it can take a couple of years to really get a business to bring in ample profit.

-10. Don’t give up! It takes time.

Accessories Etc. is located at 115 E. Commerce Street on the Square in Fairfield. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. She can be reached by calling 903-389-3018.

(Photo by Nicole Schaefer)