March 28, 2024

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Comfortable residential structure

Kalispell businesswoman sets up eclectic store


Stepping into Gina Tonjum’s new store is a little like peeling a clementine: within there are a ton of items that are colorful, refreshing and sweet.

That is 1 of the causes Tonjum named her new house décor shop Clementine Dwelling. “I just preferred fresh new and feminine,” the proprietor-operator explained.

In early April, Tonjum set up shop at 13 E. Oregon St. in Kalispell, in the plaza following doorway to Paper Chase. There, she sells a bevy of dwelling products, ranging from wall decorations, to kitchen merchandise, to specialty toiletries.

In Tonjum’s text, the collection could be loosely described as “things that make a household a dwelling.”

For Tonjum, household goods are outdated hat—and yes, hats are on sale at the retail store, way too, in the consignment part of the retailer. The businesswoman earlier managed 4th and Zuri on Kalispell’s Fourth Avenue West North.

At 4th and Zuri, Tonjum oversaw a selection of vendors peddling wares similar to the ones included at Clementine Dwelling.

When Tonjum resolved she required to strike out on her have with a individual store, she brought alongside a few of the vendors she had worked with over the several years at 4th and Zuri. But she mentioned she also sought out new associations to provide in unfamiliar merchandise to Clementine Household, such as Scandinavian candy.

“I variety of want it to be basic, but also attraction to all age teams and tendencies,” Tonjum stated of her eclectic offerings.

Clementine Home features a roster of 20 distributors. Most are local, although a couple of other people, like Tonjum’s sister in Michigan, add their operate as properly.

The outcome is a mixture of merchandise that defies simple categorization.

Flower embroidery hangs from the walls subsequent to child apparel. Avocado wall artwork is on display over decorative bottles of orange soda. A substantial chair covered in ornamental moss sits exterior the entrance entrance. Yarn, macramé, bath bombs and playing cards are all a aspect of the numerous inventory, much too.

“It’s a blend of old and new,” Tonjum pointed out.

So considerably, some of the most effective sellers are candles, plants, furnishings and pillows stitched with area zip codes. Tonjum said the thread that ties these all together is the “personable” element of the popular things.

But the stock is subject matter to alter, and, in point, Tonjum expects that it will.

“It’s often evolving,” she claimed. “It will just keep getting far better.”

To make positive of that, Tonjum operates the retail outlet herself for four times a 7 days. Every time Clementine Home is open up, Tonjum is on hand to support prospects locate what they are hunting for and get comments on new additions to include.

“It’s essential for the proprietor to be a part of the circumstance, to retain up with the shoppers and what they want,” she explained. “The most effective element is that consumer connection.”

Clementine Household is not, even so, just a a person-girl exhibit. Tonjum’s spouse Todd runs the economical aspect of the business enterprise, and her 19-12 months-previous son Cameron helped his mother renovate the space for the shop—formerly a political campaign place of work.

“It’s a good deal of function,” Tonjum acknowledged. “…I’ve experienced a whole lot of help.”

She expects to get some far more assist when she ultimately hires staff members to consider in excess of some of her shifts behind the register. But as opposed to the average organization owner, Tonjum explained she is not looking to build the keep or develop its footprint.

“I never want it to get any greater, mainly because then it loses the attraction,” she defined. “As soon as this is not fun, then I likely will not do it any longer.”

Clementine Household hrs are Wednesday by Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin could be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected]

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