ABOUT US

The idea for the LadyBug Shop came to me while my wife, Rhonda, and I were walking in the hills around Verona, Italy while on vacation in the spring of 2003.  For weeks we had been discussing what to do with a tiny two-story, 19^th century building we had come to own in downtown Milford, Delaware, where we live.  We planned to lease the building, but wanted a tenant who would help to revitalize our beautiful and historic downtown, which like many older downtowns was struggling to remain commercially viable.  Before leaving for the trip I had read a one-paragraph filler article in the magazine Delaware Today that told how the ladybug had become Delaware’s official state bug.  Suddenly the proverbial light bulb switched on and I knew what to do—start a “click and mortar” business selling ladybug products of all types!

Why “click and mortar”?  I knew that there was not enough foot traffic in our downtown to support a retail shop, but retail shops were needed to bring more people downtown.  I had been studying the growth of Internet retailing, and thought that this could be a second source of sales for a downtown shop.  And I knew enough about eCommerce and the role of search engine advertising to recognize a good way to get started was to focus on a niche—and what was a better niche than ladybug products! Plus I really like the idea of having a shop that tied into our town’s history—after all, it was a second grade class at our local school that had come up with the idea of having a state bug and had petitioned our State Legislature to act on this back in 1973.

I excitedly told Rhonda about my idea for a “click & mortar” shop specializing in ladybug products. As usual she was supportive but cautious—after all we had no retail sales experience.  But as we walked around Verona we noticed that many shops had ladybug figures in their display window—placed there by shop owners to bring luck and higher sales—and we began to notice products with ladybug designs—including a toilet seat covered with ladybugs.  As soon as we returned home we began developing our idea and by the fall of 2003 we opened the LadyBug Shop.

The “click & mortar” concept has worked well for us.  Both our shop sales and internet sales have increased steadily over the years.  Our shop manager, Zoe, has been instrumental in making the business grow, as she is constantly coming up with new ideas and is great with customers.  After three years we had to move into a larger shop, but were fortunate to have another historic building in downtown Milford that fit us perfectly.  And now we are venturing into a parallel product line—this one focusing on turtle products and called Turtle Treasures.

You can read more about the LadyBug Shop and Turtle Treasures—and my views on downtown redevelopment using the “click & mortar” business model—in our Blog.

                   Dan Bond