Brooklyn's Progress
December 2007/January 2008

BY JILL D’AMICO

Ann Lopatin has a soft spot for the fish stapler.

The rainbow-trout topped office tool is just one of the hundreds of sweet, smart and useful gift items the newly minted retailer has packed into a cozy corner store – most of which are tagged with tips, hints and instructions for getting the most out of, say, a unique bubble bath or a children’s board game.

Her loving care for her stock is apparent in the layout – everything is front-and-center, floor-to-almost ceiling and the small space is cleverly organized for optimal browsing. Lopatin doesn’t mind demonstrating how to use the chattering teeth, for example.

Her stock runs the gamut between zany to must-haves, like the “softest pajamas” she’s ever felt, to home, beauty and educational materials, including books, maps and games.

“I try to say you’re buying an adventure,” she laughed.

Retail Therapy
From early on, Ms. Lopatin knew that retail was her niche

After her first job in product development at Brooks Brothers, she went on to work with other well-known brands like Coach, Ralph Lauren and Talbots. After a while, she started to think about making her own mark.

“I loved working with the product,” she said, “and I had this dream of opening a store for about 10 years, always in the back of my head. I was just getting the corporate experience and saving money.”

Blue Ribbon General Store was originally conceived as a Web site until, “I realized that I did want to have an actual storefront.”

A testament to her perseverance, her shop occupies the corner of State and Bond Streets in Boerum Hill, which has been nothing but welcoming, according to Ms. Lopatin.

“No one’s ever fully prepared,” she laughed. “I get surprised all the time. But I’ve been so grateful as to how supportive everyone has been - the neighborhood, friends and family.”

Community Support
Her commitment to being a part the neighborhood is what led her to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Lopatin found out about the Chamber earlier this year at a business seminar at the Brooklyn Business Library in nearby Brooklyn Heights. Chamber Membership Representative Ken Varga gave an impassioned presentation to the room, which left Ms. Lopatin with little doubt as to how to get involved with Brooklyn’s local and business community.

She said joining for business support was almost an afterthought to the community involvement.

“I think it’s important to be involved in the community and to do as much as I can,” she said. “There’s so much support out there that I am still exploring as a new business owner,” she said.

Ms. Lopatin was pleasantly surprised, then, when she attended her first Member Orientation and found out about the assistance the Chamber offers and how they support and connect businesses to the services they need.

The Holidays and Beyond
Right now, Ms. Lopatin is stocking up for a retailer’s Holy Grail – holiday shopping season.

“Everything in the store makes great gifts,” she said. “I feel like it’s a place where there’s something for everyone.”

Ms. Lopatin is also planning to launch the online store in the spring of 2008, which will be available on her Web site, http://www.blueribbongeneralstore.com/. In the meantime, she plans to use the time to study shopper habits.

“I get to see what customers really like and what they touch and what they react to, and I’ll chose some of the best products for the Web site.”
 
The store’s brand is set to grow within the local area as well. Plans are underfoot for a Community Learning Center, where in addition to a local bulletin board, it will become a place where ”people can open up their minds and learn about what’s going on in the word around them,” she said. “I’ve had this idea for years, described it to friends and then to have it really happen – it is overwhelming.”

“I want people to come in and learn about us and enjoy the holidays,” she said. “The store will always be a place where people can come in and browse.”

It worked. This writer admits to purchasing the fish stapler.

To learn more about the Blue Ribbon General Store, go to http://www.blueribbongeneralstore.com/ or call 718-522-9848.