The other afternoon I was able to sit down with Tara
Pickering, Manager at Miss Wonderful, a vintage store located on Main Street in
Cedar Falls. The store is owned by Barry and Ann Eastman. They had been collecting
antique pieces and vintage items for about 25 years, when they realized that
their storage units were starting to get full. So they decided to open a store
and start selling some pieces, this is where Tara came in. Ann had heard of
Tara through the grapevine and knew that she had some technology experience,
but it wasn't until Ann saw Tara’s Pinterest page that she really decided to
meet her. And yes I’m completely serious. I’m not saying it was the Pinterest
page that got Tara the job, but it did play a small factor. (Here’s a link to my Pinterest page by the way, for any inquiring future employers)
L-R: Ann Herman and Tara Wilson-Pickering, at the Miss Wonderful vintage shop |
So after Ann and Barry hired Tara, the three of them set out
to build a store. In the summer of 2012 they completely gutted the place and
Tara started organizing their storage units. This was the first time she had
really been exposed to mid century modern. For anyone wondering what exactly
mid century modern is, here is the Wikipedia definition:
Mid-Century
modern is
an architectural, interior, product and graphic design that generally describes
mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture and urban
development from roughly 1933 to 1965.
They re-created the space so that it was very open. They didn’t
want the space to draw you away from any of the pieces. “We wanted to leave it
open for re-arranging at anytime. Everything in here is mobile and that’s what
is fun about Miss Wonderful,” commented Tara.
As of right now Miss Wonderful has 2,233 likes on their Facebook page, 375 followers on Twitter, and 54 followers on Pinterest. They
also post some items on Craigslist and Ebay. As the manager of the store Tara
runs the social media platforms as well. In the beginning one of her goals was
to create awareness for people who hadn’t heard of the store yet. She needed to
get beyond the doors of the store and she was able to do that through social
media. She emphasized while we were talking that Miss Wonderful is a visual
experience, which is something that she tries to carry over in her social media
tactics. “Stepping into the store is an experience, and I try to share a small
part of that through social media using pictures,” commented Tara. She wants
the public to have an idea of what to expect when they step in the store.
Depending on how old the
customer is, they may just walk into another world. If
they’re an older customer they could be walking back in time to their life
fifty years ago. Many of the items in the store can be connected back to a
memory of the past for customers. Part of the philosophy of Miss Wonderful is
creating that emotional reaction to a piece. If Tara posts a picture of an item
on their Facebook, many people will comment saying that they remember that from
when they were a child. Back then people became so used to seeing the objects
around them, and when they don’t see until twenty years later, it will bring
back memories.
For Miss Wonderful, Facebook is the most successful social
media platform for the store. Their audience is 89% women and the ages range
from junior high to the elderly. Many of
the elderly customers are looking for the highly collectible pieces, while the
young professionals are more interested in smaller pieces. At the end of day
though, word of mouth is still their biggest advocate, especially in the
antique/picker world. The people who travel all over the country looking for
those rare items talk, and it helps when they talk about Miss Wonderful. Facebook has been the most successful in
selling items as well. Tara mentioned that a majority of the items she posts
will sell. “People feel a sense of urgency, when they see an item they want to
buy. It could be the only item, so a customer needs to buy it fast or end up
with “Vintage Regret”. “This is a one of a kind store, we don’t mass produce,”
said Tara.
Tara has found that Craigslist and EBay have been the least
successful platforms. She’s able to post more furniture items and to reach a
larger audience in different states, but there can also be a lot of spam. The
store has sold a few things on EBay, but it can be very time consuming and
shipping furniture is complicated and costly.
Tara has done some advertising on Facebook, mainly just to
promote the page or the post. She’ll pick a small budget and go with it. She
also does some advertising in the local newspapers. She hasn’t spent a lot of
money on advertising, because great content will generate buzz on their pages.
She also doesn’t have any sort of routine or schedule when it
comes to posting things on Facebook. When she has something fun to share she
does, she doesn’t stress over posting something every day. She feels that
social media is fun and loves being able to build those online relationships. The
con of social media is missing that face to face communication. She loves being
able to see someone twirl in their new dress or see someone trying on a new
suit for a job interview. The relationship built on social media is slightly
impersonal.
Tara is a self taught social media guru. She never took any classes;
she just learned everything at home from trying it out. She dabbles in all the
platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and blogging. She asked a few
people for their insight, and is very happily surprised that Miss Wonderful’s
social media is doing so well. “I believe that you can teach yourself, if you
really want to know you can teach yourself,” commented Tara. She also taught
the owner, Ann, how to engage on social media. Both women are creative and have
an artist eye, which once again carries over onto their social media presence.
In the future one of Tara’s goals is to help the items in the
store extend their reach. She wants to extend their customer base outside of
the Cedar Valley to Chicago or Minneapolis. She also wants to establish their
website and blog. Miss Wonderful has been open a little over two years now and
I feel their social media presence is doing great, when I asked Tara as to why
their social media was succeeding she couldn’t think of one specific reason. “I
love creating spaces and experiences, and I think that drive carries over to
Facebook,” said Tara.
Miss Wonderful is located at 216 Main Street, Cedar Falls, IA. They're open Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. For more information visit their Facebook or call 319-529-7293.