Upper left: Nancy Vaughn of Plants Plus

Lower left: Tish of Tish's Shoe Repair and Emporium

Upper right: Gloria Trem of Saturday in the Park

Lower right (left to right): Paulette, Dominique and son BoJo, and Maria

Story by Amy Schuman and M.B. Camp Photos by M.B. Camp

Page 8/What She Wants/June, 1980

Profiles: Women's Businesses

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. has increased by one-third in the past five years. Has our support of women-owned businesses also increased? Many of us strive to reflect our values and commitments in all aspects of our lives. Choosing where we spend our money can be an important way of doing this.

It's not easy to identify a woman-owned business. There are no neon signs directing us; a guide to the women-owned businesses of Cleveland has yet to be compiled. When we do know of a woman-owned business, it's sometimes hard to drive a bit further in . order to support one. However, in the midst of a recession, with money tight and inflation at nearly 20 percent, they need our support more than ever. We do not wish to imply that women-owned businesses are necessarily feminist businesses, nor, in many cases, are they intended to be. But in supporting these businesses we are supporting individual women's efforts to gain more control over their lives. For those of us who would like to own a business and don't know how to get started, or what to expect, perhaps the following stories will provide some insight. Those of us who are not entrepreneurs may still find bits and pieces of our working lives in these sketches. These are only a few of the businesses that support WSW. We want you to meet them.

Plants Plus

The sign on the open door of Plants Plus at 11114 Clifton reads "Snake Plants-.99". The owner, Nancy Vaughn, explained that "Snake plant" is her preferred term for the plant more commonly known as "mother-in-law tongue". They filled one shelf of the store, while ivies and begonias hung from above,. huge corn plants and dracenas stretched from floor to ceiling, and intermediate-sized plants of every shape, texture, color and price filled the store to overflowing. "I think of myself as someone who finds good homes for plants, I go out to greenhouses and hand-pick every plant that's sold in my store. I also guarantee against pests." Nancy ministers to ailing plants through the telephone and house calls, as well as leasing and maintaining plants for large spaces.

Perhaps because of this "customer sensitivity," Plants Plus is the oldest surviving plant store on the

west side. This year marks its fifth anniversary and also the year of its first dividend. Plants Plus is unique in that it has been financed by all women stockholders. Although Nancy holds majority control, she must report and consult with her stockholders at least once a year. "I wanted Plants Plus to be a breeding ground for women to learn business. We rotate officers every year so that women can get experience." The stockholders help her discipline herself and provide support and encouragement.

Although her mother is now an active stockholder, owning a business was not her family's idea. "After high school, my father sent me to Detroit to sign up for a Katherine Gibbs secretarial course. Instead, I enrolled in a B.A. program and majored in business. After college, I managed a bicycle shop and got to the point where I had the keys and the owner's name was off the checkbook. However, he'd still breeze in and out, change things around, and take money from the register. I decided that if he could have his own business, so could I.”

She moved to Cleveland, was hired as a manager in a medium-sized corporation, and began looking around for a business to start. After ten months of research, she decided on opening a plant store.

Initially, Nancy hired a manager to run the store while she worked full-time. However, at night she'd go out to the greenhouse with flashlights to pick out the plants. She'd complete her deliveries and balance the books after hours. "I have no memory of the opening. I fell right into my plate of spaghetti."

"A business should have three years of capital when it opens. We started with one and a half years' capital, and it was gone in a year. I didn't realize we were opening in a recession, in 1974-1975. However, we made our first year of profit in the third year, which is very common, and this year we celebrated our first dividend."

For Nancy, the store is an important aspect of her working life. As she explains, "I don't feel so trapped, as one does in a large company. I have doors. Sometimes I wonder what happened to weekends, but I could never go back to the organizational world."

Saturday in the Park

Wedding photographer Gloria Trem began her, A

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