The Owensboro Magazine 2009

SMALL BUSINESS Growing with the Community By Matt Weafer I n October 1974, Mary Dixon Baker opened The Bakers Rack, planning to sell small plants. But one day, a customer asked if she sold containers for plants. Then another customer asked if she had a lamp to accompany the container. Then another asked for candlesticks. Customers requested more and more until the requests sculpted The Bakers Rack into the unique gift boutique it is today. That dedication to pleasing customers not only helped The Bakers Rack to succeed through three decades and a major fire, it also helped the shop to earn “Small Business of the Year” honors from the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce in the category for businesses with fewer than 10 employees. “The Bakers Rack represents some of the best Owensboro offers in long-established, successful, locally owned companies,” said Jody Wassmer, president of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. Throughout the history of The Bakers Rack, the store evolved with customer demand, adding more gifts, crystal, china, décor and collectibles that their customers, friends and family sought. “Owensboro built us to what we are,” manager Anne Baker said. The store suffered extensive damage by fire in 2002, losing virtually everything in the store. “We didn’t have to come back, but Owensboro has been too good to us not to,” Baker said. “There were customers here asking, ‘What can we do?’ We can’t go out of business. There are too many people asking us to stay in business.” The support of the town that built The Bakers Rack rebuilt the same store, only better. “We incorporated everything in the new store that customers said we needed,” Baker said. That dedication to pleasing their customers rooted The Bakers Rack into the city, not just as a nice boutique to peruse on occasion, but as a regularly tapped resource. With just a phone call, customers can call in orders for bridal showers, birthday parties or random occasions; have the gifts wrapped and then shipped or delivered. Some customers, Baker said, have walked into the store and seen an item, picked it up and then walked out telling an employee to “put it on my account.” “If you walked through another store with an item and said ‘put it on my account,’ it would be shoplifting,” she said. That level of trust and service exceeds the normal call of duty for retailers. “Owensboro created this,” Baker said. “We’ve done what our customers wanted, the gift wrapping and delivery, because our customers are so good to us.” The Bakers Rack creates memories with many of its gifts. The famous brown and white polka dot wrapping paper is known well outside the Owensboro area as their signature. During Christmas, the red and white polka dot packages stand out from under the Christmas tree, kindling excitement. That excitement and pleasure is mutual in The Bakers Rack’s relationship with Owensboro; the employees are happy to offer superb customer service, and customers are thrilled to receive a gift in that unmistakable wrapping. “When you start a small business you’ve got to love it – love the business, not the hobby, and treat it as a business and still give customer service.” The future will be much of the same for The Bakers Rack, though Baker said the store will go online soon. “I absolutely love my customers,” Baker said. “I would like to think that everyone in here is a friend.” That attitude is how The Bakers Rack has thrived for the past 34 years, so it isn’t surprising they received the Chamber award. “Customer service is our specialty,” Baker said. “We just happen to sell gifts.” ● 60 OWENSBORO 2009

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Owensboro Magazine 2009

The Owensboro 2009 From our Chair Contents Buffalo Trace Brings History to Owensboro Environmental Education Blooms in the Garden Owensboro Arts and Cultural Events Making the Grade Building Opportunity In the Swim Economic Development through Placemaking Sister Cities brings International Benefits Embracing Innovation to spur Economic Development Creating a Pool of Skilled Workers Expanding Transportation Options One-Stop Business Licensing Robot Doctor Building a Locally-Based Food Economy Welcome to the Neighborhood Luxury Living on the River Moving In Trendy Excursions Evolves with the Times The Crème Brews Comfort Downtown Growing with the Community Family Business Boasts Longevity, Good Barbecue Entrepreneurial Spirit Comes Home Capturing the Broadway Market Ministering to Church Leaders Community at-a-Glance By the Numbers Dining & Catering Guide Advertiser Index

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