Flagstaff Featured Business: The Rusty Daisy Gift Co.
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press.
The Rusty Daisy
Gift Company
Main Street Daysland
780-679-4559
When it comes to work, some say they “have” to go and others say they “get” to go. Count Mandy Spiller in the latter category.
“This store is my happy place,” enthuses the grateful owner and operator of the Rusty Daisy Gift Company on Daysland’s Main Street.
“I get to go be my own boss. I get to go make the decisions that make you thrive. Like, is that going to sell? Did it sell? Oh my God, I’m so excited – it sold! Picking out stuff that people love and adore and want in their home, it’s like a weird, entrepreneurial high.”
Mandy hand-picks everything on her shelves – from home décor and candles to purses, clothing and much more. Customers won’t find anything in the shop, which includes fresh flowers, that Mandy doesn’t personally love.
“I have to love it to sell it,” she says. “I don’t just pick it to have it in my store. I have to love it because I can sell what I love.”
It’s a business philosophy that has served Mandy well over the past 10 years. In that time, the Rusty Daisy has proven to be a happy place for countless customers, too.
Mandy purchased the business a decade ago. Back then, it was located in a 500-square-foot storefront now occupied by HOM of Wellbeing.
“It was an existing flower shop – mainly flowers, a little bit of gifts,” she explains, noting she quickly went to work putting her own personal spin on the enterprise.
Then, about a year ago, after nine years in that location, Mandy relocated next-door to the vacant 2,500-square-foot Home Hardware building.
“And here we are, 10 years later, bigger, better and full of ideas,” she says with a smile.
Ideas, indeed. A customer recently asked Mandy if she ever sleeps.
“I said, ‘I sleep, but my brain is constantly coming up with new ideas, new adventures to do,’” she explains. “I wish that there was sometimes more of me to do it all, because I literally can’t do it all. But I have so many ideas and it’s just keeping it fresh and actually doing what you say you’re going to do.”
Mandy keeps lists of her ideas – stuff that she’s personally interested in, stuff her customers may be interested in, or even stuff that could benefit her town.
Perhaps her best-known idea was to urge business owners and residents to transform Daysland into Dr. Seuss’ fictional Whoville by adopting a decidedly Grinch motif at Christmastime.
“I just had this weird idea,” she recalls. “I thought, let’s do a theme for our small town and maybe it might get people interested to come shopping or come see our crazy decorations, because I mean, the Grinch is pretty fun and it’s bright colours and it’s feel-good, even though it’s the Grinch.”
The town’s Whoville concept now includes “The Whobilation Staycation” shop local campaign, which encourages people to shop at participating businesses in Daysland while earning a chance to win a yuletide prize package.
Mandy points out that small-town businesses must do everything they can to encourage people to shop local.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it, and if you don’t spend local, you will lose it,” she adds. “You could lose your main street. It’s so easy to lose it and so hard to rebuild it.”
To help build her brand, Mandy relies heavily on social media – Facebook and Instagram – injecting humour into her posts whenever she can.
“I try my best to keep it interesting,” she explains. “I do have a sense of humour, so I try and keep it entertaining, not necessarily always about the Rusty Daisy, but sometimes I like throwing a little fun meme in there.”
Of course, it doesn’t end there. Mandy strives to make the inside of her store even better and more inviting than the carefully curated photos and videos on her newsfeed.
“As customers are leaving, I’m like, ‘Tell your friends we’re in Daysland.’ And do you know what? They’re like, ‘Absolutely. We will,’ because they had an experience here,” she notes.
Mandy is also a member of Flagstaff Crafted, a program run by Flagstaff County that enhances the exposure of local makers, artisans and retailers of local products.
Through the Flagstaff Crafted program, Mandy has met many retailers – several of whose products she features in her shop.
“You’ve got to do what you can to get people through the door. I thank Flagstaff Crafted, I thank Flagstaff County for helping me so much in my rural small business,” Mandy says, marvelling at how she’s managed to thrive in a town of only 800 people.
“It’s because we keep it interesting. So come on in; it’s awesome here!”
Check out the feature in print in the December 1 edition of The Community Press – available for digital purchase anytime. Never miss an issue, become a SUBSCRIBER today!
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press.
