Harbor Farm Chick Market - Open House on FRI 5/8 & SAT 5/9

[Moderator]

Hey All,

Just happened to read about this new Boutique in West Omaha called Harbor Farm Chick Market. It sounds like they have some very interesting merchandise. The article mentions bracelets made from vintage manual typewriter keys, but they also have necklaces and lots of other stuff, too. Sounds cool!

They're hosting a Wine & Cheese Night this Thursday, February 26th, from 4PM - 9PM. There's also an Open House on Friday, February 27th, from 10AM - 5PM, with coffee and cookies. (Note...Dates were incorrect in the article).

Read the article...this sounds like a GREAT new small local business. I'm sure they could use your support, so go check them out (please post if you do):

http://www.ketv.com/money/18759705/detail.html

http://www.harborfarmchickmarket.com./

[Mom2LA]

This is a great little shop!!! They have alot of very cute unique items! Great place to find gifts - Definately check it out!

[Rhonda Dunaway]

Do I even need more places to shop? Yes!!! I do!! Thanks, Velveetah. As soon as I can, I'm going to get over there. I feel that I have a duty to this website to do so. Responsibilities, responsibilities . . . .

[Rhonda Dunaway]

I finally got over to Harbor Farm Chick Market yesterday -- what a great little store! Actually, for a store of it's kind, it's not that little, and it offers a great variety of reasonably priced accessories, home and gift items, many of which have been handcrafted by local artists.

I ended up buying quite a few things. Yes, I know you're all shocked that I didn't leave empty-handed. For Aidan, I got a bottle cap necklace. It's strung on a cord, and the bottle cap has the black and white Chinese symbol that means the ying and the yang (opposing forces that balance one another). They had a big assortment of these necklaces, some with sports themes, some with crosses, skateboarders, alll kinds of things. Surprisingly, the store had quite a few things boys would like. This is something I haven't usually seen in similar stores. I plan to take Aidan with me the next time so that he can check it out.

Although I don't have any daughters, I do have a niece and several friends who have daughters, so I was pleased to see a plentiful selection of gifts for girls - all kinds of really cute purses, bags, hair accessories, jewelry, dress-up items, toys and more. I made a mental note to shop there the next time we have to buy a gift for a young girl.

I got two pendants and a bracelet for myself. One of the pendants is glass with a square silver frame around it with the initial "R" on it. The other pendant is also glass with a a silver rectangular frame around it with a really pretty multi-colored design on it. What's funny about this pendant is that it was only once I was in the car and showing it to my mom that I even realized it had something written on the reverse side. It says," I am one drink away from telling you what I really think." I probably won't ever wear it on that side, but it was pretty funny. My mom thought it was funny, too, except she did feel compelled to mention that alcohol is usually not required for me to say what I think. Thanks, Mom! The bracelet is made of round silvertone beads with my initial on a larger square silver bead. I might have gone crazy with the initials, but I didn't have anything else at home with my initials, so I thought, why not?

I also got some cute, trendy initialized note cards for a couple of my son's teachers for "Teacher Appreciation Week." Harbor Farm Chick Market is a great store for this type of thing, or for any occasion when you might need a gift for a friend, a baby shower, a child's birthday party, etc. You can find all kinds of great one-of-a-kind presents that will surprise the person on your gift list.

I'm definitely planning on returning soon. I'd like to get one of the pendants made from a vintage typewriter key that the store features. I know it sounds strange, but they are really cute -- you just have to see them for yourself. I also should have picked up a coffee mug for a friend of mine. It had a mom on the front with a couple of kids who were driving her crazy, and it said, "I tried to childproof the house, but they keep getting back in." Perfect!

Get out there soon if you can. The store is owned by four women who are friends and who went into business together. The items featured in the store are also handcrafted by local female artists. Shopping at Harbor Farm Chick Market is a great opportunity to find unique, beautiful items and to support local women entrepreneurs at the same time!

[Rhonda Dunaway]

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a shopping trip I took to Harbor Farm Chick Market. The store's name and my cousin Velveetah's description of the store's merchandise (things like jewelry fashioned from vintage typewriter keys) intrigued me, so I made the journey out to 180th and Pacific Streets to see what I would find. I detailed my delightful and satisfying shopping experience in my previous post. (Scroll up to view it.)

After my shopping trip, my thoughts continued to return to the store. Gradually, I realized that the story behind the store intrigued me as much as the store itself did. When Velveetah first posted about Harbor Farm Chick Market, she included a link to a story on KETV's website about the four women who owned the store. I kept wondering how these women got the idea for their store, how they managed to work together without sacrificing either their friendship or their business and how they managed to balance all of the other responsibilities in their lives along with everything that owning and managing a business entails. I figured that these questions would be of interest to the moms who visit our site, also. After all, Oprah keeps running episodes about mom entrepreneurs who hit it big with their ideas, so I knew this is something a lot of us must dream about. So with that in mind, I contacted one of the owners, Amy Yarnell, to ask if I could come out and chat with her and the other owners for a feature I was writing for MomsOfOmaha.com. Amy kindly agreed, so I headed out to Harbor Farm Chick Market last Thursday night for a chat with the chicks. Read on for what I found out during our visit.

When I arrived at the store, Amy ushered me to a table, offered me some refreshments and introduced me to the three other owners, Cheryl Ernst, Keri Wellendorf and Lisa Richards. Let me begin by saying that I've met a lot of hard-working and creative women in my life, but shortly into talking with these women, I realized that they were going to shoot to the top of that list. The energy and enthusiasm in the room were palpable.

How It Began

I began the interview by asking the women where they got the idea for the store and how they got started. Cheryl told me that beginning in 2001, she used to do barn shows at her farm, named Harbor Farm, of course. When I asked what a barn show is, Cheryl explained that other vendors would bring either items that they had handcrafted for sale or had purchased at market for resale and would then sell them at her barn sale, kind of like a boutique or craft show. Cheryl met the other women who would ultimately become her business partners through these shows. Keri and Lisa are sisters and were already in business together, operating "Chicks on the Go," a home party business featuring t-shirts, purses and jewelry. Amy was operating a business called "The Memory Market," designing and creating hand-crafted jewelry.

In 2006, a neighbor of Cheryl's who owns the Spring Ridge Plaza (current site of Harbor Farm Chick Market) approached Cheryl about doing a two-month-long holiday show or boutique at the shopping center. Cheryl approached the other women about the idea, and they all had one of those "I'll do it if you'll do it" discussions, and the 2006 holiday show at Spring Ridge Plaza became a reality, and a successful one at that. The chicks came back in 2007 for a second "holiday show," but never left, and Harbor Farm Chick Market has been open ever since. Note: The name of the store is a combination of the names of all of the partners' previous businesses, which remain in operation, as well.

Sassy and Sarcastic

The chicks also rent store space to approximately fifteen other vendors whose merchandise is featured in the store. In addition to splitting sales with the owners, each vendor is also required to work in the store three to five hours per week. The chicks are very selective about the merchandise they choose for their store, and it shows. As I described in a previous post, the store contains an eclectic mix of stylish, trendy merchandise, including t-shirts, purses, jewelry, bar ware, home decor and accessories, children's items, stationary, ornaments and so much more. The chicks laughingly told me that the store's merchandise could be summed up as "sassy and sarcastic." (Hmmmm. Maybe that's why I feel so happy and at home there.)

In addition to the traditional retail shopping experience, they also offer "VIC (Very Important Chick) Nights" and "Chicks on the Go." On "VIC Nights," guests are invited to come and enjoy refreshments and special discounts as they shop. To participate in the store's "VIC Nights," all you have to do is sign up to be on the store's mailing list, which you can access from their website at www.harborfarmchickmarket.com. "Chicks on the Go" operates on a home party concept where the chicks will bring their merchandise to you. At parties, guests can create their very own personalized necklaces. The chicks will assist with overall design; selection of charms, pendants or other components and attachment of components to necklaces. And if you want to skip that whole "But if I want to have people over, I'll have to clean my entire house!" dilemma, you can also choose to host a party at the store, which has a great, girly ambience perfect for a girls' night out. If you have any questions about parties, just contact Keri at 330-1706.

Respect for Each Other

It was obvious to me after talking to the chicks for awhile that they have genuine respect and affection for one another. When I asked them how the four of them managed to work so well together, they told me that the answer was in having a shared work ethic, priorities and outlook. These women are all undoubtedly endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit, and they are not the least bit afraid of hard work; in fact, they seem to run toward it. They also seem to know how to capitalize on each other's strengths. Tasks like creating displays, repair work, number crunching, tax preparation and scheduling staff to cover store hours are divided up according to each partner's abilities and comfort level.

The work never ends, but you get the sense that through it all, the chicks have each other's backs. They have no fewer than twelve children among them. And in addition to running their businesses, they have other jobs, also. Keri works at Metro Community College, and Lisa is a flight attendant. They told me that they "all get the Mom thing." They help each other out whenever necessary. They pick up and watch each other's kids. And when someone has sick family members, everyone understands, and they just pitch in to cover for whomever needs it at the time. When I asked the chicks if they ever bring their kids to the store, they smiled and said, "All the time."

The most important thing that brings the chicks together is the obvious joy they take in what they do. They explained to me that while they knew each other before becoming business partners, they have become true friends since that time, bonding during meetings and business trips. Hearing them laugh and finish one another's sentences, I could see for myself that this was true.

What Recession?

Before leaving, I had to ask Cheryl how the current economic recession is affecting the store. She smiled broadly, her shoulders dropped, and she happily told me that there have been no negative effects at all, and that instead, the store's sales have already tripled and are now about to quaduple those of last year. Cheryl explained that perhaps the store is weathering the economic storm better than other businesses because it is a place where you can purchase a lot of items for not very much money. The chicks then told me a story about a nine-year-old girl who comes to their store every single week to spend her allowance money while her mother patiently waits for her to make up her mind and select something. Because I'm used to hearing so much bad news about the economy, I felt my heart lift when I heard this story.

Harbor Farm Chick Market is located in Omaha at Spring Ridge Plaza, 17821 Pierce Plaza (180th and Pacific Streets). You can contact the store by calling 330-1706 or by visiting www.harborfarmchickmarket.com. Tell them MomsOfOmaha.com sent you!

[gwengom]

What a great story!! ...I keep thinking about stopping in (it's very close to me) and now I think I'll have to make it a point to get in there!
Thanks as always for the great tips on places to check out!

[Moderator]

Harbor Farm Chick Market is hosting a V.I.C. (Very Important Chick) Night this Thursday, May 7th from 400PM - 900PM. Complimentary Wine & Appetizers will be served! Shop for yourself or for Mother's Day gifts. Dustin Hajek will also be in attendance doing eyebrow waxing for $15.

Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th during normal hours they'll also be having an Open House, serving coffee and cookies all day.

Harbor Farm Chick Market
178th & Pacific Streets in the
Spring Ridge Shopping Plaza
17821 Pierce Plaza
Omaha, NE 68130
330-1706

Hours:
Tuesday ~ 10-5pm
Wednesday & Thursday ~ 10-7pm
Friday & Saturday ~ 10-5pm
Sunday ~ 12-4pm

http://www.harborfarmchickmarket.com./index.html