Inspiring Conversations with Wendy Wassom of Old Friends Gift Store

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Wassom.

Hi Wendy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I opened Old Friends in 2010 once my kids were old enough to drive themselves around. I wanted to open a consignment store with furniture and other fun household things. That idea worked for six months. Furniture was a tough thing to sell and I wasn’t passionate about it. I started selling more gifts and smaller things. My business took off from there. I became a store that carried humorous cards, socks for everyone, funny wine glasses, affordable jewelry, fabulous stuff animals and gifts for younger ages, tee-shirts and candles and so much more! Old Friends has become a place that people come to escape some of the stresses of our lives and have a good laugh. It defiantly makes you smile and we all need that. It really is an experience coming into Old Friends. We are always changing, but keep the favorites that everyone keep coming in for.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first opened, because we had furniture and bigger items, they were hard to sell. It took a while understanding what my customers were looking for. I had to invent my business into what it is. I didn’t want to set my prices too high, because I knew what kind of customer would be shopping at my store. I was a shopper, so I understood where my prices would be. I wanted to be fair. All of that took a while. As people came in, they began to smile and feel comfortable spending time at the store, reading everything and laughing. I didn’t want to be strictly an adult store, so I found a balance of younger gifts and children gifts. I brought in a great line of stuff animals and nice gifts for kids. I also realized I had a lot of tourists that came into my store. I began to carry Colorado things. We are lucky because the Colorado Flag is great. I can sell almost anything with the Colorado Flag on it. It was also important for me to carry items that the other retail stores in Louisville didn’t carry. We try to be respective of each other’s merchandise. I constantly try to make Old Friends a welcoming place. I don’t want to overwhelm a customer when they walk in, so I change things around all the time and try to put ‘like’ things together. So if you are coming in for a baby gift, you can go to that section of the store. My square footage in the store is small, but I have to make it look bigger and not product on top of product. Obviously March 14th started a huge struggle for Old Friends. We were closed and I didn’t have a great website. Certainly nothing that I could sell merchandise off of. After a couple weeks of shock, I began to reinvent my store. I carried masks and sold lots of them through social media. I did a lot of FaceTime, pictures and talking on the phone with my customers. I also began delivering. I made changes in my store for the state regulations and things are going very well.

We’ve been impressed with Old Friends Gift Store, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own Old Friends Gift Store in Louisville. I opened the doors in 2010 hoping to stay in business a few years. My store has evolved from a furniture consignment store to an eclectic gift store with a big variety of merchandise from baby items to adult wine glasses and cards to match. In-between is jewelry for everyone, humorous soaps and candles. There is actually something for everyone. From your toes-we have a huge selection of socks, to your head-we have beautiful earrings and masks! Some of our merchandise is edgy. I believe this is a refreshing change the big box stores. It’s hard to shop for the things in my store online, because you would have to visit so many different sights. There is a lot to look at in my store, but it really is an experience! An experience that my customers love, because they come back. Whiskey River is an edgy, humorous soap, candle, journal and pencil company that grabs your attention and gets many laughs. I find customers hanging around this display and giggling for a long time. It’s colorful, bright and funny. You can’t help yourself from stopping and holding one of the many Jelly Cat animals. It is a mystery how they make them so soft, cuddly and cute. Natural Life is a great brand for young and old. It is a happy line of sayings on mugs, bandeaus for your head, and cards to make you happy. I try to carry many products from Colorado. Aksels is a great line I carry from Colorado. We have Colorado socks, hats and t-shirts. One of my most humous lines, is Blue Q. Their things are every edgy from socks to gum, coin purses to lavatory mists. They were making hand sanitizers before it was a thing! And you can’t help from laughing when you ready what is on each item. At Old Friends, we are all about the customer. In the pandemic times, we will do just about anything that will make you comfortable. I want everyone to have the opportunity to come into my store and feel comfortable about shopping. We will make it happen.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I am learning every day. The customers guide me. I still make lots of mistakes. I buy something that I am convinced will be a hit, and it flops. Or the opposite…. I am hesitant to buy something and it sells like crazy. I continue to stock things in my store that make people laugh, but at the same time, people want to feel good and like nice things. It’s a fine line and I have fun shopping for the things that make people happy.

Contact Info:

• Email: oldfriendsllc@yahoo.com
• Website: www.oldfriendslouisville.com
• Instagram: oldfriendslouisville
• Facebook: @oldfriendslouisville

Image Credits
Chris Wheeler-black and white photo