When customers walk into the Market Street gift store they will find an array of customizable gifts stocked on the shelves. In the back of the store, employees often greet brides at the invitation center, which is quickly becoming the lifeblood of the business, McClung said.
The invitation center is a fully customizable, from wedding to birthday party invitations, and team members can assist customers with any need.
McClung stocks his store differently than other businesses might. The customized gifts, bags, candles, invitations and baby items that adorn the store’s shelves are not chosen by a large distributor but rather by the employees of the store.
“If one of the ladies who work at my store recommend [stocking] a product on the floor, we try it,” McClung said. “If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, we try something else.”
A former homebuilder, McClung first started a Bath Junkie franchise as an investment project. When he found himself unsatisfied with the profit, he changed the direction of his vision. Zulee’s came to fruition from ideas his employees pitched to him, including its name.
“The store is named after one of my former employee’s dogs,” McClung said.
That easy approach is how McClung continues to run his gift and stationary shop.
McClung attributes the success of Zulee’s to his nontraditional business practices and a family-oriented team. He refers to his team members as “the girls” and said he takes time to invest in their personal lives as well. He said he relies on passion rather than experience when choosing team members to work at the store.
“I trust my gut,” he said. “I don’t hire anyone without first letting them come in and hang out with the girls for a day.”
The gift shop and invitation specialty store does not operate in the way a big-box chain would—but works to be as personal as the products it offers,he said.
The store’s employees work to provide the best customer service to their customers while delivering the highest quality products as well, McClung said.
McClung quit his previous job to pursue his business interests in retail, which ultimately resulted in opening Zulee’s. However, that was not McClung’s original plan.
“I looked at all the people and customers I built lasting relationships with and thought, ‘What if I gave this up and regret it?’ I didn’t want to look back and regret not spending my days at Zulee’s, so here I am,” McClung said.
When McClung is able to get some down time to himself, he said he will often stroll along Market Street and watch the center’s shoppers who drop into his store as they make their away around the outdoor shopping district.
“I’ll watch them walk into Zulee’s as though it’s a routine stop,” he said. “It is pretty great to be a regular stop along Market Street.”
