In her own words Owner Mary Cambruzzi and store manager Michael Smothers set up a store display.
FOUND
Opened: 2005 MRA member since: 2005 Location: 415 N. 5th Ave., Ann Arbor Specialties: home décor, linens, pillows, gifts Owner: Mary Cambruzzi MRA Services: Bankcard, workers’ compensation, gift card
Story by RACHEL SCHRAUBEN Does your business have a unique story? Contact rschrauben@retailers.com.
“We’re navigating through it.” Those were the first words from Mary Cambruzzi after we hadn’t spoken in a few months – unprecedented months for retail in Michigan. FOUND was set to be the April Retailer magazine’s “In Her Own Words” feature. And then retail shut down. FOUND opened 15 years ago in the Kerrytown district of Ann Arbor. When you visit you’ll find an array of hand-chosen gifts selected by store owner Mary Cambruzzi. She constantly hunts for items that have character and tell a story. Pre-pandemic, it was a store that thrived on people touching the fabric of a pillow or picking up a piece of pottery. Once COVID hit, she had to adapt quickly and often. Although Cambruzzi regularly changes and updates her 3,000-square-foot store as tastes evolve and new items trend, she shares how a global pandemic has forced her to change her merchandise and day-by-day operations. I’ve always believed... there are three broad areas that make each individual store a little bit different from another one. One is the product. The second, another critical thing, is presentation. Lastly, the customer experience. That still remains true today. We’ve just had to alter how we present
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MICHIGAN RETAILER OCT / NOV 2020
