Company name: Birdhouses Etc..
Owner: Mindy Almeida
Location: 118 Main Street, Woonsocket
Type of business: Retail crafts, birdhouses
Year founded: 1999 (the Almeidas’ products have been sold at fairs throughout New England for several years)
Annual revenues: WND
THE ALMEIDAS, joe and Mindy, with one of their birdhouses in their Woonsocket store.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
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You’ll have to excuse Mindy Almeida for keeping such a close eye on her husband, Joe.
She is an entrepreneur just getting a business off the ground. The store, Birdhouses Etc., opened this summer. It offers hand-crafted birdhouses, and arts and crafts. A talented artist, Joe makes the birdhouses. But he also has a streak of generosity that has to be kept in check.
“He’d give them all away, so they can be enjoyed,” Mindy said.
Giving things away is no formula for success. But Mindy knows that. She’ll keep an eye on Joe, who planted the seeds for the business nearly 20 years ago, when he made a birdhouse for his father.
Somebody stole it.
“His sister said to him, ‘If they are worth stealing, they’re worth making and selling,'” Mindy said.
For several years, Joe’s creations have wowed country fair enthusiasts throughout New England. He has long been the creative force. Besides the birdhouses, he does pen and ink drawings and creates children’s foot stools and decorative items for the outdoors. Woonsocket Mayor Susan D. Menard has ordered a drawing of historic City Hall.
The birdhouses, though, are his signature. He is often commissioned to produce replicas of homes, churches, or historic landmarks. Some of the more elaborate birdhouses go for as much as $100.
“Joe can duplicate anything you can show him a picture of,” Mindy said.
Sales have been brisk at the country fairs, she added. And more often than not, people would ask her if she had a store. Could they visit – and see more? But who would want to come to her garage, she said.
“We were making things at home, and without a store we were doing okay,” Mindy said. “Now, they can come and see. We have room.”
The store itself is worth the trip. The theme is decidedly nature. There is an indoor park setting with potted plants, benches and a lawn of artificial turf. Joe will change the setting come winter. There are also plans to draw a Ferris wheel on one wall. Colorful wooden birdhouses line the interior. It’s spacious. And it’s peaceful.
“We wanted to have fun – and we wanted the store to look that way,” Mindy said. “The best part is seeing people’s reactions when they walk in. I see people smile. It’s exactly what we wanted.”
The Almeidas will ship merchandise anywhere, and will often hand-deliver special orders. On one wall in the store a map is marked with points of sale. Many of the sales have come from tourists visiting New England and stopping by one of the fairs.
“We’ve got birdhouses in 32 states, England and Germany,” Mindy said. “And that was all without a store.”
The Almeidas are also looking for other crafters to rent space in their store. The crafts, Mindy said, must be hand-made by those renting the space.
“It’s important for us to maintain a high-quality, hand-crafted image,” she insisted. “We want to avoid dealing with people who are selling items they purchased from another source.”
The opening of Birdhouses Etc. represents another coup for the Main Street 2000 Development Corporation. The private, non-profit organization has been charged with revitalizing Woonsocket’s downtown commercial district. To date, street level space is fully occupied, with additional space expected to become available over the next few months as more buildings are renovated.
On a recent Wednesday morning, the downtown municipal parking lot was full by 9 a.m. Commerce appears to be picking up.
Mindy Almeida hopes the hustle and bustle outside will translate into business. She figures the busier people become, the more sense it makes to buy a birdhouse.
“A birdhouse is a peaceful thing,” she said. “I think people need to go backwatch the birds. It’s relaxing.”
Birdhouses Etc. is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
