Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Hamond.
Hi Cheryl, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I love the nonprofit world and that is where I gave 20 years of my life. My role was the Director of Social Responsibility at a local nonprofit but what I really did was help kids in the community get connected to a mentor to help them take positive steps forward in their life. To help them see life bigger and that they mattered and had purpose. Part of my role was raising funds to help solidify the important work that was being done. Fundraising often times demanded creative ideas to reach the goals set forth in a nonprofit world so I had a “crazy folder” of ideas that I would throw into the brainstorming sessions of the fundraising meetings. Those ideas would quickly go back into the crazy folder until one day, a three-year, “crazy folder” idea didn’t want to go back into the folder. I was sitting at a leadership conference and in the self-doubt scary parts of thinking of this idea, I began to say, one-baby step. That’s all you have to do, one small step towards the idea. Getting a “no” in my professional world doesn’t mean you can’t explore this nagging crazy idea personally. So the next day, I woke up and took the scary baby step.
The crazy idea, turned into a side hustle of taking pieces of furniture no longer needed or wanted and giving them new life instead of being tossed in the landfill. It started with flipping furniture and selling furniture paint to owning two stores in Mankato that are both thriving. Pond Road Market specializes in a mix of vintage, antique and modern home decor and furniture that fits any style home. From buying new home decor to repurposing treasures from the past, people love to come in and see what treasures they have to bring home to create their living space that reflects all the things they love. The stores includes 24 vendors that specialize in finding the best of the best and curating spaces in the store that bring in repeat customers each month.
Could I actually leave a deeply meaningful job I loved for this crazy idea?5 years ago, I did leave my beloved professional nonprofit job of 20 years knowing it was in good hands and that 20 years was a good run. It was time to recreate something else I fell in love with doing. In time, I found that I wasn’t just “selling” furniture and home decor, I was helping people create spaces in their home that they felt good in. Spaces where families were being raised and loved ones were connecting with each other. And sometimes, there is a special vintage or antique treasure someone finds that reminds them of a past loved one and you can’t help but smile as they share the memory with a glimmer in their eye.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My first challenge was a month after I left my job, COVID hit. Fear struck so I pivoted and started doing online live sales that thankfully got me through.
A year after I left my job I bought the Hwy 22 store knowing there were limitations. It had a conditional use permit on the location which limits the store to a one- 4 day sale a month. We tried to get this changed so we weren’t missing out on some important shopping dates such as Black Friday and Small Business Saturday that are big revenue builders for small business but were turned down. So I decided to open a temporary holiday market in Old Town Mankato to capture those sales during that important time. The community responded very well to the pop up shop and so we decided to stay.
Another big challenge was when construction hit Old Town Mankato last year. At this point, I learned how to pivot and the community continued to show up and support! Although it still hurt, we made it through!!!
I asked my husband not to long ago, when will the challenges end, he looked at me and laughed. There will always be challenges but learning how to pivot and navigate are crucial.
We’ve been impressed with Pond Road Market, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pond Road Market
Specializing in Vintage, Antique and Modern Home Decor, Gifts, Furniture and other treasures. We are not your normal cookie cutter store.
24 Amazing Vendors that search high and low for the best vintage and antique pieces. You never know what we will have each time you come in.
We are unique from other antique style stores because we offer new home decor along with vintage/antique and we change inventory often so it never seems stale. We also pride ourselves in very competitive prices and often hear how reasonable our prices are.
2 locations-
19949 Hwy 22 S, Mankato
Open one- 4day weekend a month
411 N Riverfront Drive, Mankato
Open the second and third Thrs-Sat every month with extra pop up sales and open days in the holiday months.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t know if I would call it luck but we are very thankful for the support the community continues to give us. We have so many customers that have turned friends and we are so grateful for that. The fact that we have 2 stores in the same town that are thriving is a testament to the support of so many.
Bad luck- it feels as sometimes red tape is happy go lucky when trying to evolve the business. There are a lot of “no’s” from the city. That being said, we continue to not let the no’s stunt the growth of the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/pond-road-market/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pondroadmarketmankato?igsh=eXoxaDM2M2JqOHU3&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BigDyfs7Y/?mibextid=wwXIfr
