Speckled Feather Mercantile was born out of a love for crafting

**Denise Groves, left, and Elyse Hutchinson**
*Contributed Photo |*

How did your business start?

Our business came out a love of crafting. Denise has run a successful scrapbooking club for more than 20 years in Alaska and in New Castle. Elyse specializes in painting and jewelry making.

What do you sell?

We have one of the largest collections of specialty craft supplies on the Western Slope including scrapbooking, paper crafting and jewelry-making supplies. Our gift selection includes apparel, housewares, locally-made foods, accessories, jewelry, art and gifts for every occasion. Our addition is a fairy garden section.

What positive lessons did you learn during the recession?

Be creative! We started offering classes just to get people in the shop, and now it is our biggest focus.

What is your strategy for growth in the next year?

Focusing on what our customers want to see and learn.

What is the best thing about running a business here?

Getting to know the wonderful people in our community. Many of our customers we now consider friends. There is nothing better than having someone come to take a class and say “I’m not artistic,” then watching the joy on their face as they find their inner artist.

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