Episode 160 // Taylor Borkowski of The Cottage
Today on the podcast we're with Taylor Borkowski of The Cottage in Denison, Iowa (pop. 8,172). Taylor and her mom bought out an existing business in January 2020, only to shut down six days after their open house celebration due to covid.
It's been a wild ride, and Taylor's sharing how they overcame the covid challenges, brought a massive change to their product line, filled a gap in the community, and recently moved locations.
She also talks about her involvement with the community, which includes hosting community events that incorporate a diverse population, and you'll see why she was voted Volunteer of the Year!
If you live near western Iowa, you’ll want to put these upcoming events on your calendar:
Fall Frenzy — October 9, 4-8 pm
Christmas at The Cottage — October 28 (private ticketed event)
Holiday Open House — November 14-17
Recipe Walk — November 17, 1-4 pm
Taylor also used our Farm Dinner Event Kit for their recent farm to table celebration. If you're thinking about bringing a farm to table dinner to your community, this is a great resource for you!
“The coffee industry in Nebraska is still pretty young, and the midwest in general is still pretty young. But I think we’re going to see more and more shops showing up, we’re gonna see more and more coffee roasters coming in, and I gladly welcome all of it. I think there’s plenty of room for all of us.”
- Taylor Borkowski
“I think in a small business you’re obviously going to be faced with challenges all the time. What is sometimes hard is maybe not totally being able to see the next step, and just having the confidence to just make decisions literally on the fly. Even with ordering sometimes, like is this going to sell or is this not going to sell? You just really have to be ready to move. I don’t know how else to explain it. Every single day is different. Every single day has its own challenges. Being creative with ways to get people in your business right now is our biggest challenge by far. So we’re constantly looking for new, fresh ideas to get people in here.”
- Taylor Borkowski
“It’s so important and so easy to get involved in your local community. Even if it’s two hours a month. Even if it’s one event. If you can give a little bit of yourself for a very minimal time, start by three hours at vacation Bible school or a three hour shift at BBQ Fest. It would just be so cool if everyone loved their community and put energy into it.”
- Taylor Borkowski
“It’s funny to me because so many people are like, ‘oh you’re so great at social media.’ But I don’t view myself as great at social media. I look at my stuff sometimes or I look at what I’m lacking in and I just only see the areas of improvement. But as a business owner or an entrepreneur I think it’s ok to know there is room for improvement and that’s how you continue to grow.”
- Taylor Borkowski
“We have a little bit of everything. And so it’s just rewarding knowing that people trust us enough to come here and make their special moments more special by purchasing what we have to offer. That’s just really neat to be part of people’s lives in that way. We are part of peoples lives in their homes and most important celebrations. That’s just really neat to be a part of every day.”
- Taylor Borkowski
“My number one decorating tip: do your own thing. Your home doesn’t have to be Pinterest perfect. It’s still home. Enjoy what you have. Don’t just pick something because that’s the fad for right now. You can be super trendy and all those things and that’s wonderful, but it’s still a home. And I think that is more important than the aesthetic. It’s more important for you to love what you have in your home than for it to be perfect.”
- Taylor Borkowski
PODCAST SHOW NOTES AND LINKS:
Denison, Iowa
Hot Summer Nights
Women in Business Impact Organization
Farm-to-Table Event Kit
Van Houten Acres
Chamber & Development Council of Crawford County
Follow along with The Cottage here:
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