09/01/2026
I wanted to take a (long) moment to share some of the changes you’ve all been seeing over the last year or so. This is something I’ve wanted to discuss but just haven’t had the words. I probably still don’t but we’re going to give it a go. If you haven’t already noticed, the comments have been turned off. Although we appreciate the feedback and support, we feel like this isn’t a discussion. It’s a statement from your small town family run business.
I think it’s sometimes forgotten, due to our large footprint and presence, that we are still a very small business. Everyone in this store is just like you. We’re all going through the same things in different ways and different times. And as a store we, like many other small businesses, have been navigating some pretty significant changes. The cost of everything is rising for us, just like it is for you. We have tried to find the balance in grocery, but that didn’t work. Groceries are a necessity world-wide. We tried to find the balance in hardware. That also didn’t work. Our local farmers, contractors, and DIYers need that side of the river stocked to do their jobs. After many conversations, Robbie and I decided that cutting back in our clothing department was the only way to allocate funds to care for our community in the way we need to. We have to focus on the necessities as well as keeping up with the ebb and flow of our town and the way consumers shop these days. We really are a seasonal store that operates year round. There are back to back days where clothing doesn’t have a single sale so we rely on the rest of the store to compensate for it but it’s just not working because of the overhead a clothing department carries. We cannot keep the amount of inventory you have previously seen because it doesn’t turn over before we have to pay for it.
This was not taken well by the same community we’ve been trying to serve. We understand why. We do. We don’t like it either. We want you to know more about this decision. First off, our clothing department has desperately needed to evolve for many years now. For more than just one reason, our working class/local friends were pushed out. Where are the affordable, everyday items? What section sells what our farmers and blue collar workers need? Why are we selling $100 t shirts? Trust me, we hear you. We have slowly been combing through sales reports, trends, and contracts to decide what companies we’re going to keep and what companies will be phased out. My first order of business as the interim clothing buyer was to stop following the MAP for every company we sell which is why we haven’t been advertising as often. A MAP policy tells us what we have to charge and when we can have sales. And each company has a different one. It didn’t make sense to me that we spend our money to buy product and then they still tell us what we can do with it. This is something companies did to protect themselves from Amazon and the likes, but we need to protect and provide for our community. So, we legally can’t tell you what we’re selling a brand for online, in print, or on the radio because we decided to sell it for less than the Minimum Asking Price in our retail contract. We’re allowed to do this. We aren’t allowed to tell you about it. I made this decision with Robbie in the beginning of summer and the ladies in clothing went straight to work quietly marking EVERYTHING down. So when you’re not seeing clothing sales, just know, they’re happening. You have to come in to see our everyday low prices and the cheapest *insert brand here* around.
As of this morning, 9/1/26, I received a letter from a very large, very sought after, very loved brand that we didn’t meet their minimum shipment expectations which means we didn’t spend enough money with them for their fiscal year. After a few phone calls, some emails, and a tear or two… we are still unsure if we can remedy this. Or if we want to. It has been a truly heartbreaking morning trying to make a decision for ourselves that will affect you. The thing with these large, well-known brands, they’re phasing us out with minimums we can’t reach because we’re not a financially bigger store with purchase power. We’re 21 employees working for one family that’s put their heart and soul into these four walls. Big name brands don’t care that we’ve carried them for 40+ years. Their minimums rise and we fall behind. This has happened throughout the entire store. Even on the first floor, if you see a blank space, please know that it doesn’t always mean we’ve forgotten about the product or don’t want to carry it. A lot of products we just can’t get because we can’t meet the minimum order requirements the vendor has thrust upon us. For a small store, replacing certain products can be much more difficult and expensive than it may appear from the outside. We know that’s frustrating. We’re frustrated too. Trying to balance inventory, costs, customer needs, and the realities of running a small business are constantly on the forefront of our minds even when it doesn’t look like it.
My grandmother was a snowbird my entire life until she passed. She spent her summers on Nelson Pond and winters in Florida. I believe a lot of you can relate to your family or yourselves previously doing this. This isn’t as common anymore for one reason or another. Because of this, our purchasing algorithm has to also change to evolve with the way the lake operates and how visitors are spending their money. More often we are seeing camp rentals and shorter stays. This means we have to carry a wider variety of more “touristy” items. Things that you pick up because you forgot it at home or something broke and you just need something to get you through the rest of your vacation. Families are being more careful about where their money goes and thinking twice about what they need and can live without based on the price tag. All of this influences the selection you see in the store. We can’t continue doing everything exactly the way we’ve always done it when the world around us is changing. We are trying not to lose sight of what makes our store special but we also have to find a way to remain useful and relevant to everyone that walks through the door.
And now, for the biggest thorn I’ve apparently put in everyone’s side: Store Merch.
My lanta, never did I think my staff would be treated poorly over shirts. WE LOVE THE ENTHUSIASM but I’m requesting that you speak kindly to us. Please don’t stop loving our community. Our store. Our lake. We love it too. This is why it’s more important than ever that we own our designs. When we own our art we can take it anywhere. We can find the finest quality, largest selection, and best pricing without being restricted to one company because the design is theirs. When the art is made in-house, you’re not going to find it anywhere else. Some of our previous designs can be picked up at other general stores with their name on it. There’s nothing wrong with that but for the first time we have the ability to create our own designs and we’ve been really excited about it. Instead of choosing from what’s already available, we can take an idea and turn it into something you won’t find at the airport. Will everyone be thrilled about this? We’ve established the answer to that. But that’s okay. Part of being creative is taking chances. It gives us the freedom to try new things, listen to our customers, and build a custom selection for you. Not everything we put out will be our design because we know our limits but when it comes to our store, our lake, and our community, no one knows that better than the community itself. Curating a wardrobe for everyone takes time and a lot of effort from Pat and Jackie who know the clothing department better than I ever will. I can’t thank them enough for their dedication, hard work, and being my guiding light while we make changes.
If you’ve been in clothing recently, you know we are creating a new design for the next generation of long time Willey’s customers with your help. We know these “small” changes feel like big ones when you’ve been rocking the same logo for 50 years. Our logo has been a familiar part of the store for a long time and allowing it to evolve was a family decision that wasn’t taken lightly. We imagine the same thing happened when B. M. Willey was retired. Change can be bittersweet. What matters to me is continuing to move forward and create a new found love for the same old store. A new look represents where we are going while remembering where we came from and why we’re here. Come vote and be part of the next generations’ favorite logo. And cherish your vintage Willey’s attire. We love to see it wandering through the store and out in the wild. You never know when it might pop back up.
-Christina
