Have you 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, marked 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
