Buying a retail business requires hard work and determination under the best market conditions. Buying one during a pandemic – and making it a success – provides us all with a lesson in business creativity and savvy.
We’d like to introduce you to just such an entrepreneur: Beth Porter, Owner of Eggshells Kitchen Co.
Beth, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Your business looks amazing! Please tell us about Eggshells Kitchen Co.
We are a kitchen gadget and small pantry gifts store. We have it all! You can come in for pots and pans or hard to find ingredients. Maybe you need something special for your charcuterie board. We have all kinds of gifts for housewarming or hostess gifts. We have a gift registry too, but it’s on my list to update and make part of a more seamless shopping experience. There are also cooking classes. Between January and September we try to hold at least four classes a month – and sometimes more. During the summer it picks up a lot with classes on topics like cocktails, making tamales and how to use a PK Grill. For the holidays we are adding tablescapes. There’s a wide range of themes, and it’s always fun. I especially enjoy watching as people meet their future best friends. They may have been strangers at the beginning of the class, but by the end, they are hugging goodbye and making plans to get together.
Is this the first business you’ve owned?
No, I owned another business but it was out of town and required too much travel. It was short-lived and just didn’t work out. My husband owns quite a few side gigs.
Were you considering other businesses when you bought this?
No. I had a part-time job at a travel agency, then COVID happened and there was no place for anyone to go. Initially, I stayed home and did projects around the house. Then I saw on Facebook that Eggshells was available and thought, “Well, there’s nothing like buying a business during a pandemic!” We purchased it in June of 2020.
What was it about Eggshells that prompted you to go for it?
My husband and I both like to cook and entertain. This is a neighborhood store and I’ve been shopping there since it opened 13 years ago, so I already knew the business. I’m only the 3rd owner. My children are now old enough to work in the store and thought it would be wonderful to work together. It was just a perfect fit.
