At first glance, the transition appears seamless, as one candle store is simply relocating to the former site of another candle store.
This is the case with GKB Candle expanding into the space previously occupied by Yankee Candle at the Shops at Grande Prairie.
Of course, the reality is not that simple: Yankee Candle has a loyal base in Peoria, and tourists who came to Grand Prairie in search of the national brand found something different.
“I had a lot of people coming in looking for Yankee Candles,” says Courtney Green, owner of GKB Candles, “and when they found out I was a small business, they just turned around and walked out. They never even gave me a chance.”
Just three months after opening in Grande Prairie, Green was forced to close the store this month due to frustration over a lack of foot traffic at the new location. GKB moved from its previous location in Junction City in June, much to Green’s displeasure with the move.
Greene’s volatile business tenure in Peoria has taught her many lessons, some tougher than others.
Nashville to Peoria
GKB didn’t start in Peoria. Green, who was living in Nashville in 2020, started selling beauty products online when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The idea to start selling scented candles only came about after her family had a chance to try them out.
“I started making candles as a form of therapy for myself,” Green says. “I was having my friends and family smell and try the candles, and they were like, ‘You should sell these.’ So I took the time to actually learn how to make candles, because there’s a science behind it.”
After moving to Peoria, she began selling candles at local markets as COVID restrictions eased in 2021. Because candles were often sold out at markets in central Illinois, she decided to open a candle shop where she would not only sell candles but also teach people how to make them.
“My job is for customers to come in and make candles,” Green says, “and on the weekends we host events, mostly themed events like Harry Potter events, girls’ nights out, fun singles events. Customers come in and make the candles, we bring in a chef and we serve drinks, and that’s an experience every weekend.”
Green planned to open a store in Junction City in 2022, but the road to opening and keeping the store open proved to be more difficult than he expected.
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Problems at new Peoria location
When it first opened in Junction City, Green’s store was located next to Preckshott Compound Pharmacy, then was relocated by the shopping center’s owners to a new location directly below Peoria Public Schools District 150’s former administration offices.
A week before the store was scheduled to open, a pipe burst, resulting in 85% of the store being affected by water damage and forcing her to start again almost from scratch.
Junction City moved her to a new suite closer to the many bars and restaurants that call the shopping center home, but unfortunately, the suite was equipped with the original HVAC system that was installed when the shopping center opened in 1959. After two years at Junction City, she decided it was time for a move on.
“My air conditioning broke and Junction City said I had to pay $10,000 to get a new one,” Green said. “As a small business, I couldn’t afford $10,000.”
Junction City officials declined to comment on the matter.
All of this happened against the backdrop of unpleasant interactions with other entrepreneurs working there: At one point, she said, a fellow store owner couldn’t believe the business she was receiving, and didn’t like how Green was telling her the secret to success.
“It wasn’t that I was doing anything wrong,” Green says. “One woman asked me, ‘How do you get so many people to come to your events?’ And I said, ‘This is how I do it,’ and she didn’t like it.”
Green also saw a trend of peers and customers flocking to stores with established brands in the Peoria area, and Green, who only took over in Peoria in 2020, said it was difficult to develop his own brand because shoppers have so many other options.
“If you’re not from the city of Peoria and don’t have a solid following before you start a business in Peoria, it’s very hard to get the support you need,” Green said. “We were selling out our events initially because we were using Facebook ads, but what we’ve found here is that once someone tries something, they don’t try it again. We have a lot of repeat customers, but not enough to keep the store afloat.”
“I won’t give up”:Peoria business overcomes unexpected obstacles to relocate to new location
Shoppes at Grande Prairie struggles
She moved to Grande Prairie shortly after Junction City had issues with its HVAC system and plans were made to open a second location, and Green said she restructured her contract with Grande Prairie so she could relocate without being saddled with a second overhead.
Unfortunately, she didn’t get the foot traffic she had hoped for from this deal, as people started their small business expecting Yankee Candles.
“Almost no one came out,” Green said. “Because I was at the old Yankee Candle, people would always come in and ask, ‘Is this Yankee Candle?’ And I’d say, ‘No, but we’re a small business.’ And they’d say, ‘Yeah, we want Yankee Candle.’ And I was doing that at least 20 times a day.”
Before closing her Grande Prairie store, she realized that even though many people claim to support small businesses, they prefer familiarity above all else.
“It’s very cliquey,” Green said. “If you’re not in a group where people know who you really are, you’re not going to get support.”
more:Three businesses join Shops of Grand Prairie in Peoria
Advice for jumpers
The good news is that Greene has no plans to stop selling candles and other products. She’s just going back to selling online, which is what made her successful in the first place, and she feels she made more money that way before opening a storefront.
“I was making a decent income,” Green says, “I had clients all over the U.S. and even served people in Canada. From a financial standpoint, my experience was much better.”
But she doesn’t want her story or experience to discourage other entrepreneurs, especially people of color like herself, from opening up shop in Peoria. Her biggest recommendation is to make sure you have enough capital when you open your store, so some of the bigger challenges she faced won’t be as big of an issue.
“If you’re opening a brick-and-mortar store, make sure you have enough saved up to get through the slow seasons,” Green says. “What I’ve learned over the years is that a lot of businesses here have a slow season in the summer because people go on vacation. I noticed that in June and July, I barely see anyone, no one comes to my events. When school starts, it’s busy, then in October, November, around Christmas, it’s busy, but then Christmas is slow again.”
“If you’re starting anything, whether it’s retail or food, the most important thing is to make sure you have enough capital to pay rent, buy supplies and build inventory.”
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