When customers speak Creative Outlet listens
By Shelly Webb
E.F. Hutton has nothing on Victoria Reinhard, owner of Creative Outlet, located at 226 W. Main St. in Loudonville, Ohio.
For the past 29 years Reinhard, along with her excellent staff, has been listening and working hard to meet the requests and needs of her customers, and that philosophy has paid off for Reinhard in more than one way.
Today, Creative Outlet has the largest selection of Native American jewelry and crafts in northern Ohio, Reinhard said. ìWe have a great inventory and have increased our customer base tremendously in the past five years. I credit all this success to my wonderful staff and to the fact that I’ve always listened to what my customers want.
Creative Outlet offers a wide array of Native American jewelry and styles. Reinhard continually goes on trips out west to specific areas to bring back the most popular items for her customers. She also takes the time to keep a notebook and do personal shopping for her customers while she’s out and about, just one more way she puts her customers first.
We have turquoise, coral, onyx, spiney oyster, jasper, red coral, apple coral, amber, pink mussel shell and many other contemporary styles of Native American jewelry, Reinhard said. ìWe also have Guatemala beads and a huge line of Native American, Canadian and American-made copper.
But this list is far from inclusive. The truth is, Creative Outlet has such a large inventory of all kinds of jewelry, Minnesota moccasins, home dÈcor, music, Mexican crafts, Soy BeanPod Candles, Fetish (carved animals) and many more unique and special items that it would be impossible to list everything.
In addition to the large inventory in her store, Reinhard is also a skilled silversmith and can make custom jewelry, wedding bands, and can easily set arrowheads, bear claws, elk tooth and other unique items her customers bring in to her.
We have very unique items,î Reinhard said. In fact, we have a sign up that says, Should’ve bought it when I saw it. This sign is to remind our customers that 80 percent of our inventory is not re-orderable and to encourage them that if they find something they really like to not put off getting it.
As if Reinhard’s extensive inventory and great business philosophy aren’t enough, she has a staff that puts customer satisfaction first in every aspect of their job.
My staff is just exceptional, she said. They provide customer service like no one else I know and I really appreciate that. They will go above and beyond. Whether it’s special orders, gift wrapping, layaway or even personal shopping, we take care of our customers and that’s our top priority.
Creative Outlet offers some extra perks for frequent customers and those perks have been very successful, according to Reinhard.
We have a frequent customer program that gives our customers a punch card and then each time they’re in the store and spend more than $20 they receive a punch on their card, she said. After 10 punches, they receive a $20 gift certificate to use on a future purchase. Frequent customers also receive a birthday club card that gives them $5 off of a purchase of $25 or more, as well as a special Christmas coupon once a year.
With two floors, Creative Outlet offers an entire floor dedicated as an art gallery, giving customers the opportunity to bring a unique flavor to their home. And speaking of ‘flavor’, you can also pick up some of the best Southwest food at Creative Outlet. Try everything from salsa and nuts to margarita mixes.
A lot of people share with us and tell us that Creative Outlet is by far their favorite store, Reinhard added. I think it’s because we have so many different items and so many really unique things to choose from. We offer it all and we take the time to stock exactly what our customers want and that has proven to be very important to them.
Reinhard appreciates all her customers and her staff very much and invites you to drop in and see first hand what makes Creative Outlet such as hit.
