I am a vendor that rented a table and sold baked goods at Pearl's Market in Eagle, PA..
On July 20, 2009, I drove to Pearl's to refill my stock. Imagine my suprise when I found out that my table was taken off the selling floor and that all my stock was removed and put in boxes two weeks prior.
I never got a phone call, email...nothing. The owner just decided that I was not restocking my table often enough and that was that.
Their business opened in the beginning of October, 2008. Andy, one of the owners, told me, "We are going to be the next Kimberton Whole Foods." Initially, before I started renting a table at Pearl's they used to buy from me wholesale.
They loaded their store up with products similar to what you would find at Kimberton Whole Foods (all except the apothocary). My baked goods were sold in the front room. That fall I was quite successful. I restocked my table weekly..
In the spring Pearl's reconfigured their business model. They put all the 'whole foods items on sale". They told me their front room was going to be gluten free. They asked me if I wanted to rent a space in one of the back rooms to display and sell my wares.
They said that they would collect the money and send me a check. After the fact I was told that my sales would be minus an additional suprise fee for charge cards. That was not in the intial pitch for table renting.
In the beginning, after the reorganization, I was told by Noel, the vendor manager, that she would work with me and help me, calling me when the stock was low, etc. The last day I was there I reminded her of her promise and said, "Noel, why didn't you call me if you needed me to come in and restock?" She said, "I can't babysit the vendors."
I would call that renting to me under false pretenses wouldn't you?
When January came around there were so few sales that I pulled my stock. Pearl's then did their reconfiguring. They had a grand reopening in the spring of '09. At first sales were brisk but then became few and far between - especially after the owner started bringing in baked goods from the Amish, which I was told he would NOT do.
I went over there regularly only to see that very little if anything was needed. Once I realzed sales were slow I slowed down my visits. I was never told once time that the owner had a problem with this.
When I asked Noel why I was never notified, even though when I signed on I was told I would get phone calls and advice, Noel just said, "Once Andy is through with you he is through." She told me that she asked Andy if she should call me and he said, "No, I want to see how long it takes her to show up." Is that any way to run a business? I told Noel that I felt this was very unprofessional and immature and left.
What was particularly disturbing was that my unsold stock sat there for two weeks. We have a very fast turn around for cookies at our markets. I know I could have sold some of them while they were still fresh had I been informed that Pearl's had taken them off their selling floor.
This was a very sad end to what I thought was a good relationship. I told Noel that people do not just wake up in the morning and say they want a divorce. There are usually tell tale signs that a relationship is having problems. I was clueless that there was a problem.
The store was never busy when I was there so I am not exactly sure how the vendors make money. I wasn't. Ater I paid for my rental space, factored in all the stale product that I was constantly taking off my table, and took into account ingredient costs, time, & all my overhead I really hadn't much if anything since the reorganization. Truth be told, we we were getting ready to get out of there at the end of July anyway..
My daughter and I have sent at least a 100 potential customers and vendors to that store. I feel very bad that I have directed potential vendors to this place for fear that they will be mistreated the way I was. I also feel bad that the customers that I developed at Pearl's will no longer be able to find our products there.
To all of you, I apologize. I didn't know who I was dealing with. These are not people you want to do business with.
Before I walked away from Pearl's for the last time I told Noel that I would be sure to tell everyone about the unprofessional manner in which I was treated. I have never ended a business relationship like this before.
Noel said this to me, "I hope we can still be friends, Laurie (my name is LORI, NOT LAURIE)" Noel, get real, you failed me and with no remorse!
Anyone considering buying or selling items at Pearl's Market or entering into any type of business relationship with them may want to think twice..
My advice: Stay away, stay far, far away from all Pearl's Markets. Why invite trouble into your life? read more
