Crave On & 16 different types of hand roasted coffee beans

Ever been offered a complimentary tea or coffee whilst browsing? Or had a scrumptious hand made Victorian chocolate proffered for tasting? Perhaps had a gift, which was purchased elsewhere, expertly wrapped at no charge? At Crave On such occurrences are just part of the standard customer experience.

April 14, 2006, marks the two-year anniversary of Crave On which, as part of the trendy Leederville scene, tempts customers with 16 different types of hand roasted coffee beans and a wide assortment of exotic teas and gourmet condiments.

The shelves of the store are weighed down with a startling array of unique gift ideas including candy, charming trinkets, colourful pillows, bags and hammocks, infant paraphernalia and organic beauty products.

Owner and sole salesperson, Kellee Hadley confesses that although she has never received any formal business training she has been working since the age of 15. Owning her first business at 21, Hadley is adamant Crave On will thrive.

Hadley is constantly rearranging her ever-increasing range of products.

“You have to keep your customers interested and always wanting to return,” she says.

Purchasing small amounts of something different each month keeps the store looking fresh.

According to Hadley, everyone has their own shopping blind spot.

Crave On was established on the basis of the valued customer service mentality and Hadley refuses to diverge from her decision. To date, Crave On has not advertised in any media.

The closest Crave On has come to advertising is the display of purple business cards in two or three fellow small businesses around Leederville.

“My advertising is my customers, I’d rather give my customers a chocolate than put a $1000 advertisement in a magazine. It’s all about the face to face,” says Hadley.

This lack of advertising could be seen as fairly risky, however, Hadley explains: “Word of mouth is a powerful thing, my customers come back not only because of the great products, but because of the customer service. If they enjoy the experience I offer, they’ll be back,” she laughs and adds, “with friends.”

Hadley’s customer oriented disposition is the result of her bad experiences as a customer in other stores.

“I didn’t like the fact I couldn’t ask the person behind the counter anything. They didn’t seem to care. Things I like, I want to find out about. I want to know what this coffee is like and where it’s roasted. That was my first passion – coffee. Then this place came up for sale so I snapped it up,” she says.

Hadley often spends up to two hours with one customer, chatting as friends whilst the browsing, tasting, purchasing and gift-wrapping takes place.

Her customers are treated like long lost friends and usually become part of the Crave On family, stopping by regularly to purchase Crave On delicacies and, without fail, enjoying a coffee or loose leaf tea and a chat.

Hadley admits that some Crave On customers don’t appreciate the customer service and either flounce out of the store or respond rudely.

“Come into my store with no patience? Well just don’t bother.”

Hadley says she has no problems with telling obnoxious customers to get out and don’t come back.

“They’re in the wrong shop anyway,” she adds.

The Leederville community is another reason for the success of the store. Hadley says she is incredibly lucky to have the support of the community.

“They just love it. They tell me they remember when there was nothing (here) and can’t imagine what they would do without me,” she says, joking that she is the mother hen of the community.

Asked what Crave On is all about, Hadley states: “It’s the ritual of putting the kettle on, brewing it, waiting for it, sitting down and drinking it, taking time out. Take a moment. One little moment out of the day and things don’t seem so bad. A lot of the time I do get customers in who are not happy, are quite sad. Offer them a coffee or tea and out comes what’s wrong with them. Then they walk out that door with 70 per cent cocoa under their tongue and they’re like ‘you should be called the well-being shop, I feel so much better now.’ Well, that’s the whole point.”

Crave On
Shop 2, 162 Oxford St
Leederville, WA 6007
Ph: 9201 0400
Mob: 0438 929 331

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