Tea and Adversity
The lumps are not always sugar

By Angela Lovell

BRANDON, Man - After twenty years as the successful proprietor of Lady of the Lake, a very expansive and successful tea house/gift store in Brandon, Kim Shaw had a big visit from adversity. First, her store burned down last April. Then a new location, under renovation, was flooded and damaged by a tornado. Shaw faced the adversity and reopened in a large, temporary location until new premises are finished. Because of Shaws own brand of personal promotion she is well known in Brandon and her determination to go forward no matter what obstacles come her way, business has never been better.

Inspired by the traditional tea room/craft stores popular in the nineties, Lady of the Lake has majestically transcended that particular genre. Interspersed among the country craft items and local honey and jams that one would expect are one-of-a-kind items that bring back both serious collectors and casual gift givers. The antique products prompt memorabilia responses, says Shaw. It creates a bit of human emotion. Lady of the Lake is a sensory experience, a calm oasis in the frenetic sea of consumerism. It is not a sterile shopping transaction or a place to rush in and grab something. It creates an atmosphere that encourages you to drift in and spend time.

Instead of racks of limply hanging clothes or monotonous shelves of boxed goods, you will find nooks and crannies designed as rooms; the furniture items are not just props, they are also antique and handcrafted items for sale, which Shaw constantly searches out. Around them are the many lines of shabby-chic house and giftwares. An old lace corset is draped over intricate quilts on a four poster bed, scented candles burn in filigree candlesticks, and a vintage priests robe with elegant silk and lace undergarments hangs in a corner with a $250 price tag.

The food, an important part of the store for Shaw, also goes beyond the usual. She offers wholesome, fresh, and organic (wherever possible) items. Customers rave about her Hungarian mushroom soup with homemade seed bread. Shaw has an innate ability to reinvent herself and create something new yet familiar and comfortable. When Lady of the Lake moved to Brandon from Boissevain in 1998, its initial location a metal Quonset in the heart of the city had, from the outside, more the feel of a barn than the elegant experience.

Nevertheless, the inside quickly became the Mecca it had always been for the faithful and grew to become a thriving business with thirty employees and gross sales of over $1 million.

After the quonset was destroyed by fire, Shaw made the decision to re-open Lady of the Lake in a new location. The customers wanted it and I felt I should do it for them, she says.

The fire precipitated other changes, the first being a decision by Shaws longtime business partner, Heather Garden, to go her own way, heading to a new life on the east coast. Now a sole proprietor, Shaw, 48, was able to invite her three daughters, Kaleigh, 27; Miranda, 22; and Tessa, 20, to take over the business.

She is excited about the new skills they will bring as an esthetician, interior designer, and baker/jewelry designer. Shaw has an incredibly loyal clientele, who has followed her from business to business and town to town for twenty years. If I have learned anything over the years it is to look after your existing customers, she says. They will take ownership in your place and they will spread the word for you. Shaw frequently rewards her customers loyalty with invitations to parties and special events with free food and entertainment.

When Shaw markets her store, she does it instinctively. It is not so much a defined strategy as flashes of seamless inspiration about what will work and what will not. She is an out of the box person, able to pull off gimmicks and publicity stunts without them appearing to be either. She is never scared to break the mold of something that has become too predictable.

Her grand opening following the fire was a saucy parody of the genteel high tea. Her female customers were treated to cream puffs served on a silver platter by a hunk from the local gym wearing little more than a smile.

It is a brave retailer who closes her doors outside of public holidays, but Shaw has never been scared to take a gamble. Lady of the Lake will close for three days, if necessary, to be redecorated, rearranged, and restocked for each new season, whether Christmas in Paris or surfs up for summer. Its location in the Brandon Shoppers Mall was to be a temporary home for Lady of the Lake as it prepared to move into a new building currently under construction, which promises more changes. The 12,000 square foot, two-storey building will still house the usual gifts and home accessories, but will also feature a pub, stage, and dance floor. It is a point of destination for all those who visit Brandon. Shaws plan is to take sales for the business to the $2-million mark. Shaw had hoped to be settled into her new store by October, but even more natural disasters (the tornado and flood) have meant delays in construction. So Lady of the Lake will spend this Christmas season in more temporary digs. A turn-of-the-century church in the heart of the city has taken on the Lady persona in grand style and will serve as a perfect stopgap until the new store is ready in January. Shaw never stands still. With Lady of the Lake now in the capable hands of her daughters, Shaw turned some of her attention to a new venture this spring: Clever*Girl a sideline marketing business with a new partner, Krista Robson (former marketing and VIP co-ordinator for the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba).

The duo hope to pass on some of their own marketing experiences to help other Brandon businesses repeat the success that Lady of the Lake has enjoyed, offering to develop a marketable image for Brandons downtown core for free. It is Shaws way of giving back to a community that has shown her tremendous support over the years. This is our city, says Shaw, and we love it.

(Angela Lovell is MANITOBA BUSINESS Magazines Brandon Bureau Chief)