Photo courtesy of Jordan Hardy Morton.
Employees Lauren Graham, Jami Brannon and Gail Aplin stand with Magnolia’s Gift Shop owner Linda Hardy, right, at its new location in the Benson shopping plaza in Chelsea.
Since the opening of its Chelsea location three years ago, Magnolia’s Gift Shop has received a wealth of community support. Now, the business has moved into a new space just down the street from the old one.
Jordan Hardy Morton, daughter of owner Linda Hardy, said the lease was coming up and they decided to move to a different location, not far from where they were on Chesser Crane Road.
“We got word that the Hartley’s building would be up for sale/lease, and since our current lease was ending, we thought that might be a little bit better location,” Morton said. “The only problem with the previous location is that people that are not familiar with the area weren’t quite sure where it was.”
They decided to make the move and the renovation began to turn the former restaurant into a retail store. Morton’s dad is a contractor and he and his crew handled the renovation, gutting out the kitchen and making the space fit the needs of the shop.
“We have floor space about the same size as the other building, but more storage, so that’s nice for us,” Morton said.
The move only took three days, and Morton said it was a fun process, adding that their employees are the “happiest and hardest working team ever.”
Morton said they are excited to be in Benson Plaza with other great businesses and a location that’s a little easier to find for their customers.
“It’s definitely been a great decision,” she said. “I have to give my mom credit — she was totally right. We’ve gotten a lot more people coming in who are new customers. We’ve even been on the receiving end of snacks and gifts from them and that has been a sweet thing.”
Due to COVID-19, Magnolia’s had to close at the end of March and reopened May 1.Morton said it made them come up with more creative ways to serve their customers, a tall order for a brick-and-mortar business.
“We really relied heavily on our social media following and engaged our email list,” she said. “All three of our communities — Chelsea, Sylacauga and Pell City — didn’t mind having to come do curbside pickup on particular days. We said however you can or want to shop with us, that’s what we’re going to do.”
The store also began offering curated gift packages online. She said that really resonated with their customer base.
“It helped us,” Morton said. “Things weren’t normal or easy, but when you have to do things outside of the box, you discover you can serve people in ways you couldn’t before. It’s definitely been a tough year for obvious reasons, but we are thankful business has been very good and very steady.”
For the last two years, Magnolia’s has held a Christmas open house. They plan to do so again this year, but it will look slightly different. They will also add some virtual options, as well as private shopping events after hours with food and drinks. Customers can also have the opportunity to make their own wish list that can be shared with friends and family.
“We try to have nice gifts for any occasion, and one of the main draws at Christmas is our complimentary gift wrap,” Hardy said. “People can come in and knock out items on their gift list and do the wrapping.”
For more information visit magnoliasgiftshop.com or their Facebook and Instagram pages at @magnoliasgifts.
