New London
“I thought, you have got to own this store. It is in my DNA,” said Jones with laugh.
Today, 27 years after she took ownership, Jones has put the boutique store in the New London Shopping Center up for sale. Jones said she wants to spend more time with her family, including her six grandsons, and travel a bit.
“It is time for someone else to start a new chapter in Serendipity’s history,” Jones wrote on a social media post.
Since announcing the sale a couple of weeks ago, Jones said, there has been some interest from potential buyers but nothing definitive yet. She envisions the ideal owner as someone who is familiar with the store’s concept and what has made it successful and also understands the type of customers who browse the store’s line of clothing and accessories, including handbags, belts and jewelry.
“They would of course put their own spin on it,” Jones said.
Jones, who speaks with the energy and enthusiasm of someone who is just starting out in the difficult world of retail, began working at Serendipity nearly 40 years ago with the original owner when the store was on Main Street at the other end of town. She stayed on through two more owners and a move to the store’s current 1,000-square-foot location in 1988 before buying it a year later.
Jones said she believes the next owner needs not only to understand the local shopping environment but also react to the ever-changing challenges of retail, especially in the era of online shopping.
But while retailers face new challenges, Jones said, the basics of successful retailing have not changed in her 40 years in the business.
“I have always had to battle the large retailers,” Jones said. “I didn’t have competition when I first started so now it is a little trickier. We do that by giving outstanding customer service and we get to know our customers and what they want. That is how we differentiate ourselves. You hope you can outshine everyone else.”
Individually wrapping each purchase in her signature turquoise boxes adds a touch rarely available in the online world.
Jones said her store’s product line appeals to everyone from children to teens to senior citizens, which broadens the customer base. Serendipity has also benefited from a shop local mentality among many in town and has also drawn out-of-state visitors to the lakes area or Mount Sunapee.
Jones does not sell online but her store is on social media — Facebook and Instagram — with photographs as a tool to promote some products. Both have proven to generate interest and drive customer traffic. “Perhaps the next owner will be younger and embrace that (social media) more,” Jones said.
As for when she hopes to move on to a new phase in her life, Jones said, it is more important to her to find the right owner than sell within a certain time.
“I will take it as it comes,” she said. “I am optimistic.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
