Page 285 - AMC January 2020

Sometimes even the best ideas don’t turn out how one expects ... and sometimes that ends up being a very good thing. A Family Tree THRIVES ONLINE Such is the case for the Pence family, owners of The Trendy Tree, an online retailer of holiday-related Christmas tree trimmings, ribbons, trim, and seasonal craft projects. Jeannie Pence and her husband, Terry, had a vision in 2007, to start a Christmas tree farm on their 10-acre property in rural Mississippi. Jeannie was working as a nurse practitioner at the time, but had dreams of running the farm when she retired, and taking her grandkids to chop down a tree every year as a new family tradition. Her brother, who had a successful ecommerce business selling parts for vehicles like lawn mowers and go-karts, suggested the Pences start an online store selling Christmas ornaments to offset the expenses of starting the tree farm. “We started with an investment of around $500, and put our inventory of ornaments in my sunroom,” recalls Jeannie. “My brother showed me how to build a website, and the orders started trickling in. Every night, we’d pull the ornaments for the orders, pack them up, and do the labels right there in our house.” She started with products from Old World Christmas, then later added RAZ Imports, at the suggestion of her daughter, Carrie Martin. For the first three years, they only purchased wholesale products through the RAZ and Old World Christmas websites, folding the profits back into the business for more inventory. As for the trees? “They were a lot of work,” admits Jeannie. “And when you look at the return on investment, we realized focusing on the website would be more profitable.” So her husband retired early, Jeannie quit her job, Carrie and her husband, Mark, joined the business, and the family focused full-time on running The Trendy Tree. While they started solely with glass ornaments, the family could quickly see that while the fourth quarter was the most profitable time of the year, it would be wise to find products to carry that would expand sales throughout the year. They started adding home décor and tabletop decorations, and then chose to dabble in crafting supplies. “That’s what really changed our business,” says Jeannie. They added mesh, wreath forms, ribbon, and other crafting accessories to their mix, and since then have done a steady, year-round business with these items, along with silk flowers, twine, crafting equipment, and other supplies. “Now our inventory has around 5,000 products,” says Jeannie, adding that they now store their inventory in a warehouse in town. > AmericasMart.com | 267