Online may be where retail stores are turning to in order to reach the volume of sales they want and need, but as Dana Schroeder, owner of Southern Gray in Grayville sees it, customers miss out on a personal connection. She launched her store out of her house in 2021 and it went over well enough that she saw a need to expand.
So anytime we’d come out of town, I’d always look off to the right and say, ‘Oh, the future home of Southern Gray’ and of course my husband would laugh and say ‘whatever Dana’. Until one day I went to the city and they said, ‘yeah, you want to purchase this?’ and I was like YES before I ever went to the bank or anything and I thought well this is great. I’m going to buy this piece of property and the bank is going to say, ‘we’re not going to give you any money.’ But they did…they trusted me. So we built our building out there and we’ve been out there for just a little over a year.
She says the store’s focus is clothing and shoes, but there are also gift ideas as well. She says she’s still learning and constantly listening to customers for products and brands that they’re asking for. She also describes Southern Gray as the store that’s trending, but nobody knows it.
A lot of places I follow are out west. And they’re launching new items and I’ll get it in the store and they don’t buy it. I clearance it out because I do have sales. And then everybody goes, hey do you this product…and I go, I had that for six months…where were you guys.
And she still has big dreams even though the business is still in its infancy.
I really hope to continue to grow and provide for our community. There’s a lot that Grayville needs and I’m one person but I hope throughout the years I can bring more to our community as well as give back.
Due to Southern Gray’s interstate adjacent and near to the dispensary location, she says 80% or more of her customers are from out of town.
One lady from Newburgh said well I probably won’t be back; it’s too far of a drive. And her daughter said no it’s not, let’s time it. She did and said by the time she gets on the interstate and gets there, it’s closer than going to downtown Evansville to her other favorite boutique.
That location also makes her a key to growing Grayville through effective cross promotion.
With bringing people to town, they don’t just shop. They eat. I send them uptown to shop and I think as small businesses when you do have people coming in from out of town that’s how you grow your community by saying, you should stop in here, stop in there.
The store itself is located at 207 Helck Street, though she says it’s easier to tell folks to find Southern Gray next to Terrabis at the I-64 plaza. The store is open usually 7 days a week too making it very accessible to check out. You can also learn much more about the store by visiting her facebook page where Schroeder makes regular updates and posts. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernGrayCollection