Local Antique and Home Decor Shop Returns from 'Destination BootCamp' With New Tools to Change Business, Attract New Customers

WAKE FOREST, N.C., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Wake Forest's Kim Shoemaker, owner of Old Magnolia Trading Company, returned this week from a Colorado-based business improvement "Destination BootCamp," where she learned hundreds of new methods to bring more customers and tourists to Wake Forest, NC.  Shoemaker was among a group of business owners from across North America who attended the two and one-half day, 20 hour workshop.

Shoemaker's Old Magnolia Trading Company is the first business from Wake Forest to attend the Destination BootCamp and only the second in the state of North Carolina.

Old Magnolia is the first shop to successfully fuse antique and new home decor design elements to create one of a kind and beautiful living spaces.  With an eye for the unusual, Kim Shoemaker, owner and founder of Old Magnolia, scours the country in search of the highest quality antiques and home decor at the best prices.  Whether you are looking for eight foot tall mid-twentieth century department store display clowns or a nineteenth century baker's table, you are sure to find a focal piece to liven up your living space. Kim's passion for design and showcasing the beauty of one-of-a-kind pieces of history sets Old Magnolia apart from all other shops.

The two and one-half day "Destination BootCamp," created by marketing consultant Jon Schallert teaches independent business owners how to reposition their businesses as "consumer destinations."  According to Schallert, a business using his "Destination Business" strategies can compete effectively with superstores like Walmart and Home Depot, and significantly impact a local community.  According to Schallert, it is not uncommon for destination businesses to create change in an entire city, by drawing consumers from miles around, from outside the immediate marketplace of a community.

"With the principles we learned at the BootCamp, we will be able to satisfy more of our customers needs and make shopping at Old Magnolia a much more enjoyable, fun experience.  Additionally we will be attracting more visitors and tourists from outside Wake Forest," says Kim Shoemaker.  "With what we've learned, there's no reason we can't attract customers interested in one of a kind and fun antiques and home decor from hundreds of miles away."

Old Magnolia was founded in the Spring of 2007 and offers a selection of antiques and home decor that you will not find in other shops.  Kim Shoemaker, owner and founder of Old Magnolia has spent the last ten years in the antique market specializing in unusual and fun "wow" pieces that make a dramatic impact on home decor.  Shoemaker was first introduced to the traditional world of retail as a member of management at a corporately owned Hallmark store that consistently did more than one million dollars in sales annually.  With this experience, Shoemaker set out to create a one of a kind shop that would mesh the antique world with new home decor and show home owners how to design beautiful and personalized living spaces.

Schallert's Destination Business BootCamp is held in Colorado three times annually.  Schallert has worked with independent business owners since 1983, speaks to thousands every year, and is the President of The Schallert Group, Inc., Longmont, Colorado.  One newspaper called Schallert "the marketing guru rooting for the retail underdogs."  Business owners interested in attending may contact Kim Shoemaker at 919-562-8867 for more information on her BootCamp experience, or one can visit Schallert's website at www.DestinationBootCamp.com

SOURCE Old Magnolia Trading Company