BY JESSICA SCHLUTER
Becky Smith has had a creative bone her whole life. The owner of Ms. Becky’s, a home decor store in Homer, loves to be able share that creative side and help others while she does it.
Smith and her family used to make their products and take them to craft shows to sell them.
“My mom and dad and sisters and I would set up at craft shows and they would say ‘Do you have a store?’ and we’d say ‘No, but we want one!’ and finally we got our dream.”
Ms. Becky’s has been open in downtown Homer for almost fourteen years.
“We opened in October of 2006. My mom enjoyed it, while we still had her, and dad enjoyed coming in, too.”
Smith still goes to craft shows, but only two a year: the one at Mom’s Day weekend for the University of Illinois and the Gifford State Bank craft show at Gordyville around Christmastime.
Ms. Becky’s looks a little different than when it started, however. Popular styles and customer demand has changed over the years.
“The decor in it has changed drastically since I started. Style has changed.”
“Before, I had like porcelain dolls and China and things like that, but I’ve gotten out of that and have gotten into the home decor.”
For Smith, it’s fun to pick out items she thinks her customers will love. She enjoys shopping for the products she brings in, and she enjoys helping customers pick things out when they come by.
She travels to shows in Ohio and Pennsylvania so that she can see the product in person before she brings it into the shop.
“I like going to buy the product; I like to see it before bringing it into my shop. When it comes in, it’s like Christmas, opening all the boxes.
Smith tries to pick out items her customers will like, but it’s important that she likes it, too.
“If I don’t like it, it won’t come into my shop. I feel that I won’t try to sell it. Pretty much everything in here is what I like.”
But her favorite thing is to help her customers.
“The customers are my favorite part. I enjoy visiting with them. Our slogan is ‘let us help make your house a home.”
“I’ve even gone to a couple customers’ homes and helped them with their decor. I take baskets of things with me and try to incorporate their items as well.”
Smith sees a lot of product turnover, which means there are always new products to check out in the shop.
“We have customers come in and see something and they’ll say ‘Oh, I’ll get that next time’ and they come back and it’s gone.”
“There’s no best selling item; when I buy something it’s usually just quantities of 2-6 at the most so I turn things over frequently.”
Much of her product comes from different places throughout the Midwest, but some of the items she sells are handmade by herself, like these lighted blocks. She plans to have Illini blocks on sale for Mom’s Day weekend.
“Mom taught me how to sew real early, and later on Dad taught me how to use the saws and make things. My sister and mother and I belong to the Illinois Heartland Decorative Artists, where I picked up painting and things like that.”
Many of the things that she makes herself sell very quickly. She even had an ornament that she crafted make it on to the Christmas tree at the White House during the Clinton Administration.
“I actually had an ornament go to the White House. Hillary Clinton sent me a letter.”
Before opening Ms. Becky’s, Smith worked at the U of I for 30 years. Opening and running a successful business has been eye-opening for Smith.
“It’s a lot of work. It’s not just come in and sell to the customers. There’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff that you don’t see.”
In recent times, it’s harder than ever for a small town business to make it work, but Smith pushes through.
“It’s different, but you just kind of have to pick it up and keep going.”
Events like the Spring Shop Hop, which was at the beginning of March, and her upcoming Spring Open House, are helpful in bringing new customers in.
She has her regular customers, too.
“We have those people who come through, or come visit somebody and they always make a point to come back and see me when they’re in the area.”
Smith says owning and running a business is hard work.
“Hardly ever do I take a day off.”
Even so, she hopes to take a little time off in the fall to celebrate a special milestone with her husband.
“We’ll be married 50 years this September.”
Luckily, she has family to help her out sometimes.
“I’m the only one here. My sister comes and helps sometimes, and so does my granddaughter.”
Smith particularly enjoys the time spent working with her granddaughter.
“I get to visit with her and know what’s going on in her life.”
It’s evident that Ms. Becky’s is a labor of love for Smith. From the care she takes in picking out the items to sell, to the time she spends with customers helping them find just the right thing to fit in their home, it’s obvious that Smith is right where she’s supposed to be.
For more information on Ms. Becky’s and their upcoming events, please visit their Facebook page here.
