All in the Retail Family

Tough Retail Market Makes Longevity Hard to Achieve.

| 2017 Q1 | story by Julie Dunlap, new photos by Steven Hertzog
 All in the Retail Family

Weaver’s

Familiar faces have lined the streets of downtown Lawrence for generations, though few—if any—with quite the lineage of longtime downtown flagship Weaver’s Department Store.

The story of Weaver’s begins in 1857, when founder Lathrop Bullene first opened his dry goods store at 723 Massachusetts St. Bullene kept the store in the family, selling it to his daughter, Gertrude, and her husband, A.D. Weaver, who changed the store’s name to reflect the new owner but kept the Bullene family tradition alive, eventually selling the department store to their son, Art Weaver.

Art made a fortuitous hire in 1950 when he brought Larry Flannery on as a general manager.

In 1962, after three generations of Bullene-Weaver family ownership, Larry purchased Weavers, now located at 901 Massachusetts St., setting up his own family for three generations of ownership, as well.

Larry’s son, Joe, grew up working in the family business, joining Weaver’s full-time fresh out of college in 1972 with the intent to “try it out for a couple of years,” he laughs nearly 45 years later.

The last living link to the Bullene-Weaver legacy, Joe shared his first office with the late Art Weaver after Larry bought the department store.

“I learned so much from Art,” he says with deeply rooted respect of his predecessor.

Joe and his two brothers all worked at Weaver’s throughout high school and college, learning every facet of the business, from the physical upkeep of the store to following fashion and shopping trends to building relationships with customers and employees.

While Joe’s brothers ended up taking those life lessons on to different career paths, Joe has passed these same traditions and lessons on to his own children since taking over as president of Weaver’s Inc.

Brady Flannery and his sister, Christina, followed in their father, Joe’s, footsteps, working at Weaver’s through high school and college in every possible position, learning the business inside and out in the same hands-on way their dad did. Christina has taken her training to Macy’s in New York as a planner for the retailer, but Brady now works in the same office his dad once shared with Art Weaver.

“I learned from my dad how to make it work,” Joe shares of the family’s legacy. “It worked well with him, and it works great with Brady.”

Brady rejoined the company in 2012 after working in Seattle right out of college. “There was an attraction to move back to Lawrence,” he says of seizing the opportunity to work with his father at a thriving business and to be close to family again. “Lawrence is a strong community, and I was excited about the future of Weaver’s.”

Shifting into the role of mentoring father from apprentice son came relatively easily for Joe.

“I learned early the father-son relationship is different than employer-manager,” he says, adding, “it’s OK to talk work outside of work, just don’t work outside of work.”

Brady has appreciated the opportunity to learn the business from a mentor he calls “Dad” and cites strong communication as vital to their successful duo.

“Communication is key, having shared values, knowing where you are and where you’re going,” he shares of the dynamic. “We can bounce ideas off of each other, which has always been very easy to do and is beneficial to the store, bringing different approaches.”

One approach has remained steady in the family, however. “We share a 100% commitment to the customer,” Brady beams.

The Flannerys aren’t the only set of multiple generations working at Weaver’s. Joe and Brady both take pride in staffing many employees over the years from the same family trees, adding to the familial fellowship that makes Weaver’s feel like home to many.

 All in the Retail Family

Winfield House


And with the newest Flannery, Brady’s 18-month-old daughter Margaret Flannery, now in the wait, the Flannery family may have yet another generation to lead the team at Weaver’s down the road.

Like Brady, Ken Campbell, owner of Winfield House, down the street at 647 Massachusetts, is the third generation in his downtown retail-owning family, as well. His grandparents, Ralph and Ruth Campbell, and his parents, Win and Linda Campbell, founded Campbell’s Clothing Store in 1964. Win and Linda went on to open Winfield House in 1995, closing Campbell’s five years later.

Ken grew up in the retail business working for his parents and grandparents at the clothing store, and observing the family patriarch’s keen business sense along the way.

“I heard stories about my grandfather in his heyday,” Ken recalls. “It was fun to watch him work.”

Ken says Ralph had a special knack for keeping the supply rotating, a trade secret he passed on to his grandson. “Even when he only worked at the store a couple of days a week, he knew the inventory well. His goal was to always move the oldest thing first to keep the inventory fresh,” Ken explains.

Win instilled the value of being conservative with inventory purchases, advice Ken still draws upon today.

“Going to market is one of the most challenging things to do as a family,” Ken says with a grin. “After our first big argument, we learned that when one person says ‘no,’ move on.”
 All in the Retail Family

Winfield House


After spending his younger years working in the family business, Ken branched out on his own for a bit before buying Winfield House from his parents in 2008. But his parents aren’t too far away.

“They work part-time for me now,” he smiles, “and I’m so glad they still want to. They still have a big part in what goes on here.”

Linda wouldn’t have it any other way. “It is a blessing to have somebody want the business,” she says with a smile, “to see your joy become their joy.”

The joy continues now through the fourth generation, as Ken’s daughter, Samantha Campbell, is well on her way to being able to take over the company. A true family affair, Ken’s wife, Robin, was also instrumental in the store, working in home consultation before her death one year ago.

“It’s fun,” Ken says of his family business. “We’re really fortunate to all get along.” Echoing his mother, Ken adds, “It’s a joy.”

After 32 years of retail ownership, Mark Swanson, proprietor of Hobbs (700 Massachusetts) and Spectator’s (710 Massachusetts), is happy to say the same thing.
 All in the Retail Family
“We’re fortunate to get along as well as we do,” Mark states. Mark and his wife, Kathleen Swanson, opened Spectator’s in 1982 with the hope of capitalizing on the specialty retail boom happening downtown at the time, unaware of the path they had just set for themselves, their young daughter, Shauna, and her sister, Alex, who would arrive nearly a decade later.

“I never thought I’d be doing this for 35 years,” Mark laughs, emphasizing their initial goal of simply making a living. “Kathleen and I had the passion for it, and it naturally evolved for the kids to work here, too.”

The Swansons’ gamble on specialty retail paid off due, in large part, to their attention to an underexposed niche for East Coast labels, particularly Jones New York.

Stocking the racks with the right style wasn’t their only key to success, however, as Mark and Kathleen realized early on that connecting with customers on a personal level was vital to longevity in the business.

“We’ve never been a company that expected a customer to walk in the door,” Mark says with both recollection and immediacy. “We realize we owe our customers everything, and I’ve imposed that upon Shauna since she was in the womb.”

While most of their peers were performing household chores at home, Shauna and Alex grew up in the retail industry doing “store chores.” From the time they could each walk and talk, the two sisters have learned to talk with customers, display merchandise and keep the stores clean and organized. They have traveled to market with their parents for as long as they could remember, even taking on purchasing responsibilities as teenagers.
 All in the Retail Family
The dynamic wasn’t always easy, though, and some lessons were learned the hard way.

“My dad is the only person to fire me!” Shauna exclaims. All of 13 years old, Shauna had to work her way back into paid chores at the store, something she eagerly and successfully managed to do. The memory was never far from either of their minds, though, as Shauna recalls one evening as an adult when her dad, recognizing she was tired from the holiday setup and needed a break, told her to go home and rest. “I didn’t want to leave, but my dad told me, ‘I fired your (rear end) once, I’ll do it again!’ ” she laughs.

Mark only beams with pride, however, when he reviews her work now, stating, “Shauna is the best I have ever seen, and I am so proud of her.”

Shauna spends her days floating between Spectator’s and Hobbs, a specialty clothing and novelty store the Swansons opened in 1997, starting and ending her day at Hobbs, where Mark offices. Alex spends most of her time with Kathleen at Spectator’s, though the two put in time at both locations, as well. The family of four looks forward to all of their days together, but Christmas Eve has a special place in their hearts.

“Christmas Eve, it’s just me and my dad at Hobbs and Alex and my mom at Spectator’s,” Shauna says with a smile. “It’s a moment to be had, for sure.”

Kathleen smiles describing the family’s Christmas Eve. The Swansons hit their sales floors to help customers with their last-minute shopping, greeting many who have made shopping downtown on Christmas Eve their own family tradition. After closing the stores, the family of four makes its way home for a night of dinner, gift-wrapping and much laughing.

“It is the greatest joy and benefit to have them around me all the time,” Kathleen says, emphasizing, “I am honored to work with them.”

Down the street, mother-daughter duo Carolyn Richmond and Ellie Ruby run one of Lawrence’s relatively newer multigenerational shops, Fortuity (809 Massachusetts).
 All in the Retail Family
Richmond opened Fortuity with her daughter in 2011 after visiting Lawrence from Kansas City for her daughter’s sorority moms’ weekend. Richmond, the daughter of a long line of boutique retailers in the Kansas City area, saw room in the downtown Lawrence market for a shop mothers and daughters could both enjoy.

“We have one customer who calls it the ‘three generations store’ because mom, grandma and daughter can all find something here,” Richmond laughs.

To ensure an inventory with that kind of wide appeal, Richmond and Ruby share the buying duties.

“I buy for the older crowd, (Ruby) buys for the younger,” Richmond explains.

Ruby, who also maintains a fashion blog at www.EllieRuby.com, has been buying for the store since her sophomore year at the University of Kansas, getting an early lesson on the inner workings of running a retail business while also teaching her mom a few things, including how to incorporate social media into their store.

“I’ve been counting change back to customers since I was little,” Ruby recalls of life in retail family. “I learned early on how to calculate percentages, how to talk to people and how to treat customers.”
 All in the Retail Family
Richmond is happy to both learn from her daughter and pass on the lessons learned from growing up in a retail family. “My dad taught me that everybody will take your money, but nobody wants to help you once they have it,” she says. Like her dad, Richmond explains, “We want customers to be happy with their purchases and will help them with an exchange as much as we will their original purchase.”

This customer-oriented practice has helped Richmond carry on the family legacy of service through her own business, which now has stores in Lawrence, Kansas City and Manhattan, as well as online.

“I love working with my daughter,” Richmond smiles. “It has been fun to grow this business with her.”

A testament to the city of Lawrence and to the strength of family ties, the families committed to keeping downtown thriving seem to be on course for generations of shopping to come.
Share.

75 Comments

  1. obviously like your website but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it very troublesome to tell the reality then again I’ll surely come again again.

  2. Hello there, I believe your site may be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, fantastic blog.

  3. magnificent issues altogether, you just won a new reader. What may you suggest in regards to your put up that you made some days ago? Any sure?

  4. My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs? I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write about here. Again, awesome web log!

  5. I blog frequently and I truly appreciate your content. The article has really peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your site and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.

  6. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your site? My website is in the very same niche as yours and my users would certainly benefit from some of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Thanks!

  7. I want to to thank you for this excellent read!! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it. I have got you bookmarked to look at new stuff you post…

  8. I have noticed that car insurance businesses know the automobiles which are at risk from accidents and various risks. Additionally, these people know what types of cars are inclined to higher risk along with the higher risk they may have the higher your premium price. Understanding the straightforward basics of car insurance can help you choose the right form of insurance policy that may take care of your requirements in case you happen to be involved in any accident. Many thanks for sharing a ideas with your blog.

  9. whoah this blog is wonderful i really like studying your posts. Stay up the great work! You realize, lots of individuals are searching round for this info, you could help them greatly.

  10. After looking over a number of the blog articles on your blog, I honestly like your technique of blogging. I book marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my web site as well and tell me how you feel.

  11. Coming from my examination, shopping for gadgets online can for sure be expensive, but there are some principles that you can use to help you get the best deals. There are usually ways to find discount offers that could help to make one to have the best electronic devices products at the smallest prices. Thanks for your blog post.

  12. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. kudos

  13. Right here is the perfect webpage for anybody who would like to understand this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic that’s been written about for many years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent.

  14. Everything is very open with a precise explanation of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing.

  15. Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your web site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you?ve on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for extra articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched all over the place and simply could not come across. What a perfect web site.

  16. Hello! I just want to offer you a big thumbs up for your excellent information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

  17. I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Cheers

  18. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you so much, However I am having problems with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anyone else getting the same RSS issues? Anyone that knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanks!!

  19. Hiya! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My site discusses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I think we could greatly benefit from each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Terrific blog by the way!

  20. Thanks for the concepts you discuss through this blog. In addition, quite a few young women that become pregnant will not even try and get medical insurance because they have anxiety they would not qualify. Although many states right now require that insurers offer coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. Costs on these kinds of guaranteed programs are usually higher, but when taking into consideration the high cost of health care it may be a safer route to take to protect your current financial potential.

  21. I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which not enough men and women are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I stumbled across this during my search for something concerning this.

  22. I’m really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one today..

  23. I have seen a great deal of useful points on your internet site about pcs. However, I’ve the opinion that netbooks are still more or less not powerful sufficiently to be a good option if you normally do things that require plenty of power, including video croping and editing. But for website surfing, statement processing, and quite a few other popular computer work they are all right, provided you never mind the little screen size. Many thanks sharing your ideas.

  24. Hello there, I found your blog via Google while searching for a related topic, your web site came up, it looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

  25. I precisely needed to thank you so much yet again. I do not know the things that I would’ve implemented without the actual tactics shared by you about such a situation. Completely was a very daunting dilemma in my view, but coming across your specialized fashion you processed that took me to leap for joy. I am happier for this advice and even pray you know what an amazing job you were providing teaching the mediocre ones through a web site. Most likely you have never met all of us.

  26. Thanks for the strategies you are sharing on this blog site. Another thing I would like to say is the fact getting hold of some copies of your credit file in order to examine accuracy of each detail may be the first step you have to undertake in fixing credit. You are looking to clean up your credit profile from damaging details faults that spoil your credit score.

  27. Unquestionably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people consider worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

  28. Almanya medyum haluk hoca sizlere 40 yıldır medyumluk hizmeti veriyor, Medyum haluk hocamızın hazırladığı çalışmalar ise berlin medyum papaz büyüsü, Konularında en iyi sonuç ve kısa sürede yüzde yüz için bizleri tercih ediniz. İletişim: +49 157 59456087

  29. Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your site. You have some really great articles and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Regards!

  30. I must thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this website. I’m hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own, personal blog now 😉

  31. Nice blog here! Also your site loads up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

  32. Hey there! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My blog looks weird when browsing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share. Thanks!

  33. I discovered more new things on this weight loss issue. One issue is a good nutrition is especially vital any time dieting. A massive reduction in bad foods, sugary food items, fried foods, sweet foods, red meat, and white flour products can be necessary. Possessing wastes bloodsuckers, and toxins may prevent aims for fat-loss. While particular drugs for the short term solve the matter, the terrible side effects are certainly not worth it, plus they never offer you more than a momentary solution. It is just a known indisputable fact that 95 of dietary fads fail. Many thanks for sharing your thinking on this blog site.

  34. I have viewed that good real estate agents just about everywhere are Advertising. They are acknowledging that it’s not only placing a poster in the front property. It’s really in relation to building human relationships with these sellers who someday will become consumers. So, if you give your time and effort to supporting these vendors go it alone — the “Law of Reciprocity” kicks in. Good blog post.

  35. The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t disappoint me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, but I really believed you’d have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you can fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.

  36. Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and don’t seem to get anything done.

  37. When I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. There has to be an easy method you can remove me from that service? Thanks.

  38. you’re really a good webmaster. The web site loading speed is incredible. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a great job on this topic!

  39. My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right. This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!

  40. One thing I’d really like to comment on is that weightloss system fast can be performed by the right diet and exercise. An individual’s size not just affects appearance, but also the actual quality of life. Self-esteem, depressive disorder, health risks, plus physical skills are disturbed in weight gain. It is possible to do everything right and still gain. If this happens, a condition may be the primary cause. While a lot of food but not enough workout are usually the culprit, common medical conditions and trusted prescriptions can easily greatly help to increase size. Kudos for your post here.

  41. It is really a nice and helpful piece of info. I?m glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

  42. I truly love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my very own blog and would love to find out where you got this from or what the theme is named. Kudos.

  43. I blog quite often and I seriously thank you for your content. This article has truly peaked my interest. I’m going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new details about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.

  44. Another thing I have really noticed is that often for many people, bad credit is the response to circumstances over and above their control. One example is they may are already saddled having an illness and because of this they have excessive bills going to collections. Maybe it’s due to a work loss or maybe the inability to go to work. Sometimes divorce or separation can send the money in the wrong direction. Thanks sharing your ideas on this blog site.

  45. hello there and thank you for your info ? I have definitely picked up something new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this web site, as I experienced to reload the website many times previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and could damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective intriguing content. Ensure that you update this again very soon..

Leave A Reply

Contact to Listing Owner

Captcha Code