Meet Jenni Hlawatsch of The Singing Cook in Louisville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenni Hlawatsch.

Jenni, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was looking for a something new to do and noticed that there was a vacant space on Main St. next to a bookstore in my home town of Louisville, CO. I asked the owner of the bookstore what was going in the space and she immediately replied: “Why, do you want it?” I said I didn’t know but was just curious. She asked if I had an idea and I told her I always thought it would be fun to own a kitchen shop. She said, “Best idea, I’ve heard so far, bring me a business plan!” She and some other partners owned the building and were looking for a tenant, ideally a female-owned retail store. So, it was sort of a whim at the time, but I decided to propose the idea to my parents. They thought I was crazy.

It was 2012 and we were just coming out of the recession, but I decided to go for it. I wrote up my business plan and my parents loaned me most of the money to start up. The rest is history. My business grew every year and now my shop is a destination for locals and visitors alike. But who knew that eight years later, the country would be going through its worst health crisis and economic disaster since the Spanish Flu and the Great Depression? So far, after much worry, uncertainty, and stress, I am weathering the storm. I finally got approved for a PPP loan and was awarded a grant from the city, which will help keep my shop afloat, especially since I am now able to be open. I am anxious to bring my small part-time staff of two back, and hopefully, we can continue to provide the area with our fun, colorful, and essential items for the home cook!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Honestly, it was pretty much a learn-as-you-go situation. I already had experience helping run a small online specialty business, so I was pretty familiar with the ins-and-outs of buying, stocking, bookkeeping, and customer service. I just had to apply those skills on a larger scale to a brick-and-mortar shop. I think the biggest hurdle is establishing yourself and your brand and building a customer base, but the revitalization of Louisville’s downtown made that part fairly easy as more and more people visited and discovered my shop. I’d say the COVID-19 situation is and will continue to be the biggest struggle most businesses will ever face. Some won’t make it, but I’m now confident that even though it will be difficult for a while, my business will make it.

Please tell us about The Singing Cook.
My shop is a kitchen store called The Singing Cook. I carry essential items for the home cook – cookware, bakeware, utensils, cookbooks, gadgets, knives, towels, and most anything else you would need for a home kitchen, plus food and many gifty items. We pride ourselves on creating a fun and homey small-town environment with excellent customer service and an overall positive experience when you shop in the store. It’s called The Singing Cook because I have a degree in Musical Theatre, so I will also sing show tunes on request – certainly a unique experience!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Hmmm… in the beginning, we grossly underestimated how much space we had and significantly under ordered our first round of inventory, so that is something that was a little rough at first. But as we grew, we added more and more, and now we fill every nook an cranny. The only other thing I can think of is being more assertive about how the empty space was renovated before moving in. There are several esthetic issues that could be improved, but those cosmetic things are generally only noticed by me and my staff, lol!

 Contact Info:

• Address: 728 Main St.
  Louisville, CO 80027
• Website: www.singingcookstore.com
• Phone: 720-484-6825
• Email: jenni@singingcookstore.com
• Instagram: @singingcook728
• Facebook: facebook.com/singingcookstore/
• Twitter: @singingcook1

Image Credit:
Headshot by MaryLynn Gillaspie

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