Children's Orchard opens 156th franchise

By JAN HOGAN

VIEW STAFF WRITER

It's sometimes said that 90 percent of new businesses fail within the first year. But Lillian Morrow's new clothing shop shouldn't be one of them, thanks to solid planning.

Morrow recently opened a Children's Orchard franchise shop at 7035 W. Ann Road, near U.S. Highway 95. Hers is the 156th Children's Orchard to open in the United States since the first franchise store opened in 1980.

The shop sells children's new and resale clothes (size 0-10) as well as equipment like strollers, jogger trams and toddler beds.

Morrow said without previous business experience, she found the process a little challenging, but that the Nevada Small Business Development Center helped her immensely.

"I contacted them in March and they put together an outline plan for me," she said. "They recommended banks and thought of all the 'can't forgets.' "

Janis Stevenson, one of the business development specialists, said the valley has lots of opportunity for small shops like Morrow's. "With our population growth, we have pockets where there are enough roof tops to justify new businesses," she said.

The county issued 10,486 new general business licences last year, compared to 7,185 in 1989. The city took 781 business applications in October, with 550 of those classified as new businesses. A total of 30,748 general businesses operate in the city.

Stevenson said advertising is a key component to success and some business allot 10 percent of annual gross for it.

"Most are doing less than that," she said. "What's necessary is to be creative."

Morrow was creative. When the store opened Nov. 4, she had cartoon characters Barney and Elmo greeting people. Balloons marked her store. She advertised heavily and more than 100 people showed up.

Morrow, a former captain in the Air Force, relied on her background in logistics and aircraft maintenance to make business decisions.

The costlier parts of starting the business (besides coming up with 30 percent of the initial capital) was constructing the tenement improvements and payroll. One of the hardest parts was securing a location.

"I went with a franchise because as a small business person, if you've never had experience before, you can't find a strip mall to lease to you," Morrow said. "A small strip mall will lease to you, but you may wind up behind a gas station."

The idea for opening the shop occurred to her after she searched for items for her own children. Like most moms, she couldn't see spending $40 for an outfit that would probably be splattered with catsup and paint at day-care.

"These are nice clothes," she said. "But you're only spending about $6.99."

Morrow said she plans to stay in her present location before attempting to branch out. It's all part of her solid business plan.

The Nevada Small Business Development Center can be reached at 734-7575.