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Blessings Big & Small Christian Store
Thirteen years ago, Heide Kuhlman opened her first Christian store, Blessings Big and Small, in Watertown Mall in South Dakota. In 2022, she opened a second location in Aberdeen Mall. And this year, on March 23, Heide opened a third location— this time on a main street in downtown Huron.
All three of Heide’ s stores are about 100 miles apart, but she says that’ s what people are used to. Being in a rural area with a wide service radius means that the population of every small town in between her stores is considered part of her customer base as well.
To keep three stores operating, Heide personally manages the flagship store and has two full-time sales managers in the other locations.“ My awesome staff have definitely been a key to the success of my stores,” Heide shares. Most of her staff have been with her for several years, including one staff member who has been with her for eight years.
Every other week, she visits the other locations to check on her staff and the store operations, with more visits lately to her new store. Heide recently celebrated the grand opening of her new store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and special gifts for the first few customers. Heide also promoted specific sales throughout the store, rather than a storewide
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sale, since it is the best way she has found to maximize purchases without giving more discounts than needed.
Her stores range in size from the largest, busiest store at 3,600 square feet to the smallest store at 1,700 square feet. Because her stores are smaller than the typical Christian store, Heide has learned to modify the types of products she carries and how she orders those for her customers.“ I’ m unique among Christian stores because I’ m located in rural South Dakota. Not all the things that work for bigger stores in bigger communities work for me, but I believe I’ ve learned to adapt suggestions and ideas to work for me,” Heide explains.
When Heide first opened her store, she carried a large number of CDs, DVDs and books. Now she carries a wide variety of Bibles and more devotionals and kids’ books. Music and movies are special ordered.
Bibles are of course her bestseller. And the top seller in her gift department is jewelry, especially higher quality items from H. J. Sherman, McVan and Spirit and Truth. Versible’ s Tap To Pray ® bracelets have also done well. Engraved products are popular, and Heide says the xTool laser engraver has saved several of her sales.