The Garden City Telegram
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Center proves helpful to specialty shop, others
Published 7/16/2008 in News : Area coverage
By EMILY BEHLMANN
ebehlmann@gctelegram.com
When Sonnie Baird and Louaine Knoll prepared to open EWE Specialties & Perfect Occasions in December 2006, they had done quite a bit of research.
They knew they were unique in southwest Kansas -- the closest bulk candy and nut stores were in Denver and Wichita. They knew they needed a location with room for semi-trucks to pull around back and plenty of storage space for all the treats their customers could imagine, plus wedding and gift supplies.
What they didn't know was how many other opportunities there were for research to help their business, or how much a small office at Garden City Community College could help, Baird said.
She said she learned about the Kansas Small Business Development Center, a branch of which is at the college's Student and Community Services Center, through a newsletter from GCCC.
Baird and Knoll say the center has helped their business grow, and now EWE is gaining recognition well beyond the 22-county area the southwest Kansas business development office serves. It was featured in the annual federal report completed at the statewide level by the Kansas Small Business Development Center network.
Cristina Aslin, assistant director at the business development center, said EWE was named as the southwest Kansas center's 2008 Success Story.
"(Baird and Knoll) found out that their specialty store is a destination, and have made sure they have a large advertising budget so their customers know where to find them," states the article in the publication.
The co-owners said the center, while keeping the business plans confidential, has helped them find distributors and market for their products, plus create a catalog to sell items. Though the site isn't active online yet, EWE also has a Web site created with help from the center's staff, so customers can order gifts and treats on the Internet, Knoll said.
EWE is just one of many clients for the center, according to Aslin. For 2007, the GCCC-based office provided 1,126 hours of free one-to-one counseling to 135 clients, conducted 30 workshops for 258 participants and responded to 687 information requests, she said.
"If we don't know, we get you to the right places," Aslin said.
The southwest Kansas center is one of eight in the state. It operates in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kansas Department of Commerce and a variety of Kansas' colleges, universities and chambers of commerce. The state-wide host is Fort Hays State University.
In addition to counseling and workshops, the centers try to connect entrepreneurs with financing opportunities and information sources, according to the center's Web site. The site, www.swksbdc.com, also includes information sheets on creating business plans and projecting finances, as well as one called "27 questions to ask before starting a business."
"If you're even thinking about starting a business, you should go see them," Baird said.
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