Bluestem adapts creatively to economic downturn

The economic downturn is causing sharp declines in retail spending in downtown Columbia, but the five artists who own and operate Bluestem Missouri Crafts view the recession as an opportunity to get creative.

Bluestem, located on 9th Street just south of Broadway, sells artwork and craft items and has been in business for 25 years. Co-owner Mary Benjamin said they’ve been through tough times before, such as the loss of shoppers in the mid-1980s after Columbia Mall opened and the dip in the economy after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“I don’t think we’re any different than any other business in town,” Benjamin said. “This year is down slightly. Our challenge is to have a broad range of prices so that people can come in and find something very special at a perfect price for them.”

“Even though people may not buy something big, they still want something nice,” added Laura Bullion, a store partner who described Bluestem as an intermediary between the customers and the artists.

Benjamin said the gloom of the recession has created doubt in people’s minds when it comes to spending.

“When you are challenged by the economy, there is a lot of negative news,” Benjamin said. “Someone needs to say it’s OK to buy something now.”

Still, Bluestem has been able to keep its four part-time positions, and Benjamin said the broad range of price points at Bluestem has enabled the store to keep up customer traffic.

“Bluestem basically is doing business the way we always have, just better and wiser,” she said. “We’ve been challenged to be even more creative, resourceful and knowledgeable about certain things.”

For example, they are changing window displays weekly. “The windows are probably our best way we can advertise,” Benjamin said. “Downtown pedestrian traffic is great. Having good window displays brings in customers. We move things around a lot so the store always appears fresh. We updated our logo last year, put up a new beautifully designed store sign. I think visibility is better. Our shows, four times a year, bring in lots of people, many of them new to Bluestem.”

Benjamin said communication with customers is also important, and the company’s mailing list now has 6,500 contacts, including 1,800 who have e-mail addresses.

“Building our e-mail list has been a priority,” she said. “We still do some print and radio advertising but have added e-mail marketing.”

For a recent show featuring exotic birds of Missouri, they challenged artists via e-mail to participate and sent an electronic newsletter with “lots of photos” to customers that informed them of the show.

“We are working harder on our Web site so that we will be able to offer more of our inventory online,” Benjamin added.

“We communicate regularly with our artists,” she said. “We help them with product development and pricing so that they are able to understand our current market. We want them to know that we are a partnership, each of us helping the other.”

Benjamin and Bullion said attentive customer service is another reason why they’ve been so successful.

Bullion added that being realistic about the economic situation is important.

“I’m optimistic,” Bullion said. “You can’t expect growth in an economy like this, so we’re not horribly upset.”

Bluestem’s partners also nurture personal relationships with their customers. One of the five partners works each day, maintaining contact with customers. Benjamin explained that there isn’t a single store manager, so they all remain in touch with the operation of the business.
“We work really hard,” Benjamin said. “It’s not a 9-to-5 job…We do have a passion for what we do.”