Our store’s identity was stolen last week.  We discovered that someone (and we know who) had set up an e-commerce site that used our store name and location, and even stole some of the wording from our web site.  I was going to write about that in my blog this week, because the unpleasantness generated by this blatantly illegal action was the focus of all our attention for a few days.

But I decided that rather than dwelling on the negative, I’d write about the fact that our store is celebrating its 35th anniversary this week with a staff reunion.  We’ve invited over 150 past employees to join our current staff at an open house on Friday, and we know that some “alums” will be coming from as far away as Ohio, Massachusetts and Illinois.

We host a staff reunion every five years to celebrate the store’s anniversary, and we’ve been doing this for quite some time. (The picture that accompanies this entry is from our 10th, in 1985.)  In addition to the party, we do window displays about the store’s history, and make special offers to our top customers in honor of the anniversary.

The local newspaper will be running a story about our store’s anniversary this year, mostly because I sent a press release with photos and a specific idea for the news story.  Business reporters are always looking for a positive story, especially if it isn’t just a blatant promotion.

Even if your shop is not as old as ours, you undoubtedly have something to celebrate — your grand opening, or a first or fifth anniversary.  Take advantage of these special times to bring attention to your store, and to the fact that you are a locally owned story with an interesting story.  Word of mouth and free press coverage are your best advertising, and make great material for social media postings on Facebook and Twitter.

If our store hadn’t been around so long, and earned a good reputation through so many years of customer service, no one would have tried to rip us off.  Imitation is, after all, the most sincere kind of flattery.  But I prefer celebrating our success with a glass of champagne, rather than thinking about the negativity of this identity theft.  The bogus site was taken down within one day of our “cease and desist” message, whereas we hope that Orange Tree Imports will be around for many more years to come.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder