Where jonnycakes, Del’s <br> and the Big Blue Bug rule

From Del’s Lemonade, to jonnycakes, to coffee syrup, Rhode Island is full of unique items. And while most Rhode Islanders know that, it was a non-native, Lisa Harrison, who took that knowledge and parlayed it into a thriving business.
“I’m not from here. I moved here from Chicago 10 years ago,” she said. “I had traveled a lot and couldn’t believe there were so many things that I hadn’t heard of, like coffee syrup and jonnycakes. I was sending all these things to my friends and family and thought there should be a place you could buy all these things.”
So in 2002, she opened a 200-square-foot store in Newport called Only in Rhode Island. Harrison, who had majored in finance and marketing, started with “25 vendors at most” and no retail experience.
“I had never worked in a retail store in my life, so the obvious choice was to open a retail store,” she said. “Actually it’s probably better I didn’t know what it would be like, because it’s very hard work to do this.”
Despite her inexperience, the store was a hit, and within six months, she moved to a 2,500-square-foot store at Long Wharf Mall in Newport.
“The re-sponse has been so amazing,” she said. “Even during the holidays, when people said locals in Newport will not shop in downtown Newport, they have shopped here. It’s just been phenomenal, and that makes me love Rhode Island even more. The people here appreciate that all the things are made here.”
Harrison realized there was enough demand to open a second store, and in May of last year, she opened up in a 2,500-square-foot storefront on Thayer Street.
“We got such a warm welcome, and everybody was so nice,” she said. Now she’s working on a third store at T.F. Green Airport.
“They approached me and asked if I would be interested, and I originally said no,” she said. “My fear was that in the airport it wouldn’t be our store, and I didn’t want a cookie-cutter airport store.” Eventually, she was persuaded that she could retain the spirit of the store, and now she’s looking forward to the new location.
The business has grown dramatically and now buys from more than 250 vendors, carrying “hundreds and hundreds” of items ranging from handmade one-of-a-kind jewelry to T-shirts featuring New England Pest Control’s Big Blue Bug.
“Each day we receive about a dozen things people want to sell to us, and existing vendors are often making new things,” she said. “I’m continually amazed at the ingenuity of the people in this state and the things they come up with.”
And Rhode Islanders continue to be her best customers, she said. “The people who live in Rhode Island and displaced Rhode Islanders are our bread and butter.”
Harrison has also set up an online store at OnlyinRhodeIsland.com has earned a five-star merchant rating from Yahoo! Shopping.
And while every state has unique items, Harrison said a business like hers probably wouldn’t be as successful in other places.
“I don’t think this would work everywhere. I think it’s because Rhode Island is so unique,” she said. “There are places you travel to and you wonder why people settled there, but here you know. It’s unlike anyplace else, and I still think that 10 years later.”