Home(town) Decor While she was off in Chicago, Green Bay grew up--and became the perfect spot for her business.
By Devlin Smith
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When Stephanie Bruss moved from Chicago back to her hometown ofGreen Bay, Wisconsin, she wasn't exactly sure how well acommunity best known for cheese-hat-wearing football fans wouldreact to DOTI(Designs Of The Interior), her home decorating franchise. Luckily,she found Green Bay was hungry for what she had to offer.
"I was thinking of the area as it used to be. I hadn'trealized how much it had grown," says Bruss, 35. "Thereare five Fortune 500 companies located in Green Bay, and a lot ofindustries here are recession-proof."
In 1999, Bruss opened her first 800-square-foot DOTI studio in abrand- new building. Two weeks later, she leased additional spacebehind hers, using that for her studio and turning the front spaceinto a store. She attributes her fast-track success toold-fashioned supply and demand. "This is a smaller community,and there just isn't a lot out there as far as homeaccessories, so it's worked out really well," shesays.
At the end of December, Bruss will be moving again, this timeinto a 3,400-square-foot space that will serve both as studio andstore. She hopes the move will cement her reputation in Green Bay."My goal is to be one of the premier home furnishings anddesign services in our area," she says. "When peoplethink of quality and service, I want our name to be the first thingthey mention."
