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Entrepreneur: Cody woman takes Western detour to North Pole with North Pole West
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She doesn’t look much like a Spike. She looks more like a Leslie, which in fact she is.
But, only her mother calls her Leslie.
To the regulars who visit her popular North Pole West store in Cody, Wyo., she’s Spike "The Outlaw Elf" Sheehan.
Billings Gazette Staff
Born in the East and a longtime resident of the South, Sheehan came up with the idea for a Christmas store with a Western theme long before she and her husband moved to Cody. They considered opening the store in Tombstone, Ariz., or Deadwood, S.D., but fell for Cody on their first visit.
"Buffalo Bill, with all his flamboyance, it was like meeting kin," she said. "It was the perfect place for us and we haven’t been disappointed."
Much of her business is done online through the store’s Web site at http://www.northpolewest.com. From the site, shoppers can order ornaments like Santa on a bucking horse, or cowboy snowmen throwing lassos. There’s also a Wyatt Earp ornament in the shape of a red pepper. And, there’s regular Western stuff, too, like steak brands, so you can sear you initials in your T-bone the next time you’re barbecuing.
North Pole West is located at 1323 Sheridan in Cody and can be reached at (307) 527-5008.
To find out how this diminutive, always smiling woman got her unusual nickname, you’ll have to read the rest of the story. Before she gets to that, here’s what else she had to say about making a Christmas-themed store work year-round and why she chose to open her business in Cody:
Nature of the business:
North Pole West, with both its Cody store and Web site, is the largest retail supplier of Western Christmas products in the country. This store is different from other Christmas stores, and that’s the first thing you notice. Instead of blasting you with a forest of frills and lace, we take you into Santa’s general store. That’s what makes it fun. But, we also have a serious side. We are actually built on a strong foundation of history and are dedicated to sharing the touching legacy of Christmas in the West. I have written the book "Christmas in the Old West" (due out next month) because many people honestly believe that there was no holiday celebration at all out here. It was just time to invite the West to America’s Holiday table.
Why start this business?
I needed to be in the business of Christmas. Christmas is just what I do best, and there was no getting around that. What we had to get around was the fact that it needed to have a new twist, something I could really open up and have fun with and hopefully spread the joy. There are plenty of specialty Christmas stores, but no one seemed to want to take on the task of Western Christmas. I love a good challenge and a lot of flash, it was a perfect match.
How long have you been in business?
Since 1998.
Biggest challenges in running the business?
Wow, where do I begin, or rather where will it end?
Inventory is a major issue, that’s why you don’t see a lot of other folks doing this. There is a constant source of supply for other holiday stores. They can use whole product lines where often we can only use one or two products a vendor has to offer. So, it takes us many, many, many more vendors to fill the same square footage of selling space, plus we are vulnerable to changing fads in the marketplace. No one thought I could pull it off. I was outright laughed at several times.
We also began with our site before Web sites were in fashion. There was a big prejudice against e-merchants at the time. We were all viewed as dreamers, or shady dealers, or even worse. Nowadays everyone has to have a site and you are frowned on if you don’t. It was interesting to watch this turn around. Another hurdle was to educate the business marketplace that Christmas can be a year-round business. To be honest, some people still don’t believe it. I still get to hear "but what do you do the rest of the time?"
And it sure doesn’t help at all to be a woman. That surprised me. You think we’ve come so far. When I first got started, especially men in the business community would be a little condescending. They would be like, ‘Where’s your husband? Does he know you’re doing this?’ I don’t think I was taken as seriously as I would if I had opened a clothing store, or something proven like that.
But, the biggest challenge of all is time. I always seem to run out of it.
What was done to overcome those challenges?
I work constantly on obtaining new inventory. It’s gone beyond a full-time job, it’s almost a lifestyle. But, that’s why you really have to love this business to be in it. I also keep abreast of up and coming trends and fashions. Even though we might not carry such items, it is important to know the whole market, not just my slice of it. Tunnel vision just won’t work here.
Our Web site has blossomed and in doing so encouraged me to return to school for a Web design certificate just to keep up with it, and once again to keep up with the market trends. This season it is being upgraded and enlarged thus proving that all you can do is stay true to the vision that you started with. Time has a way of working things out regardless of what we think should or shouldn’t be.
What is being done to expand the business?
We have just moved into a larger store, giving us about 3,000 square feet of retail space. We are also adding Western "lifestyles" to our selection. By lifestyles I mean other aspects of Western life, such as agriculture, lodge, motorcycles, hunting, fishing and, of course, one or two surprises since it is Christmas. I am also expanding our services to include decorator and custom work as well as Western wedding and shower party favors. We are getting more personal, more one-on-one. The main focus will always be cowboy Christmas. We are also expanding our vintage collection display, the goal with these pieces is to create a Christmas museum so kids can trace the changes in Christmas decorations over the years.
This year I will also put more time into creating one of a kind pieces where last year I was just to swamped.
Your worst business mistake?
This is going to sound impossible, but I don’t have one. A mistake is a matter of attitude. I’ve made tons of little boo-boo’s here and there, but whenever things go less than perfect I just make sure to walk away wiser for having gone through it. Long-term success is measured in how you deal with mistakes, anyone can get through the good stuff.
Advice for someone running a business?
Absolutely love what you are going to do, because you are going to be spending a lot of time alone with it.
Number of workers?
Varies seasonally, 2-5.
What’s your five-year plan for the business?
Continue to grow to better serve our specific group of niche market customers. To make sure the West is a real part of Christmas in America.
A question you would ask other entrepreneurs?
Where do you buy your Christmas ornaments, and why?
If you weren’t doing what you are now, what would be your dream job?
Continue to write about Christmas …Oops! that’s what I’m going to do. "Manny Claus: A Western Christmas Tail" is the next book. That’s my dream, give the kids of the West their own story.
OK, now, here’s where the name Spike comes from. I got it from my husband.
I’m 5-foot-2. When we met, I was younger and more daring, and I liked to wear spiked heels. I still wear spiked heels, just not as long. The name stuck. Even my bank account uses the name Spike.
“Entrepreneurs” appears regularly in the WorkWeek section. The feature will help readers become familiar with new businesses, as well as educate others in the challenges of starting a business. If you have been in business for at least one year and would like to tell your story, please contact:
Chris Jorgensen
Billings Gazette
401 N. Broadway
Billings, MT, 59101
657-1311, office
657-1208, fax
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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