gift store offering unique gifts.
OOP! Contemporary Gift Gallery
Owners: David Riordan and Jennifer Neuguth
Location: Providence Place mall and 297 Thayer St.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
Type of Business: Retail
Employees: 20, up to 40 during holiday peak season
Annual Sales: WND
Year Founded: 1989
David Riordan and his wife Jennifer Neuguth lead a troop in Rhode Island. It is headquartered on Thayer Street and they have a satellite location at Providence Place mall. They call themselves “OOP!-sters,” and their colorful charms can be irresistible to those who enter the OOP! world.
“We joke and call OOP! a cult, because we hire the same type of people, outgoing, fun and our employees stay with us for years. It’s like a family,” Riordan said.
The couple also gained a faithful customer base by carefully choosing the arts, books, furniture and intriguing gadgets from all over the country they sell at their stores.
At only 24 years old and right out of college, Riordan and Neuguth decided in January 1989 to start a business. Six months later, with $20,000 worth of inventory – all of which fit on top of Neuguth’s parents’ pool table – they opened the contemporary gift gallery at 297 Thayer St.
“The best time to open your own business is when you’re young and you have nothing to lose. Now we have a house and a family, we wouldn’t be able to work like we did and take the risks we did back then,” Riordan said.
Their artsy store on Thayer Street was a hit, but when Providence Place was being built, they had to either join them or compete with them.
“There weren’t really any places in the city to shop before Providence Place. When it was being built I knew we had to become part of it, or deal with the business it would take from us,” Riordan said.
Leasing a space at Providence Place seemed over their head, but again, Riordan and his wife made it happen.
They talked to a retail consultant who advised them to run the mall site as a satellite location and by keeping expenses down to rent, employee payroll and additional merchandise, it was possible. They also hired someone to negotiate their lease agreement with the mall and ended up saving money where the couple would never have thought of negotiating.
“The best thing you can do in business is get help when you need it and realize when you’re in over your head. With the mall, we were in over our heads and we hired people to help us. We saved over $60,000 on our lease because of it,” Riordan said.
There have been hard times, especially in the past couple of years with the economic downturn.
“It’s a struggle, and you’re always re-thinking, is it worth it? The past two years have been hard, even though I’ve gotten better at managing, because we depend on people having a disposable income. When people don’t have that, we suffer,” Riordan said.
Even during economic hardship, OOP! stayed afloat. They have $200,000 worth of inventory between the two stores, with items ranging from quirky $1 gadgets to $7,000 pieces of furniture that you probably wouldn’t find at a regular furniture store.
Riordan and his wife plan to keep running OOP! for at least another 10 years, but he’s the first to say that plan could change. With a 2-year-old son, Annan, and a baby on the way, the couple prioritizes family first.
“I love retail, but it isn’t my life. We’d like to open another store somewhere. We want a more furniture-based store with more space, but we could change our minds. That’s the great thing about being an entrepreneur. You can change your goals and it’s OK.”
