Interview with Joel Gittleman, owner
How did you get involved in this business?
We have always loved shopping and finding the perfect gifts for our friends and family. We found that many shops in Castle Rock carried the same items, mostly made in China. We wanted to open up Castle Rock to uniqueness, individuality and quality craftsmanship. When you come into Enchanted Gifts, you never know what you will discover but we guarantee you’ll find something unique from Poland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Russia, South America and the United States.
What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
Some people refer to us as Castle Rock’s Christmas and garden store. All year round we have Christmas in our upstairs rooms, but in September our entire store flips to a Christmas wonderland with many fabulous items you won’t find in other stores. In the spring and summer, we are truly a garden store with outdoor fountains, birdbaths, planters and statuary, bird food for your outside yard and plants, planters, home decor for indoors. We grow our own African violets and Streptocarpus (which are a relative to the African violet). You won’t find these in any other stores.
What do you like best about your line of work?
I personally enjoy when customers find that special gift, whether it be for someone special or themselves. I always say, if it brings a smile to your face then it belongs with you. And so many of our treasures will bring smiles to many faces.
What is your business’ biggest challenge?
Visibility. Most of our business comes from repeat customers. It’s a challenge to find successful advertising methods that actually bring in new customers. We’ve tried advertising in various publications, radio and theater, but nothing really seems to work. We realize that it takes time to build a business and as word of mouth advertising from our existing customers grows, so does our business.
Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
Many of our items are truly one-of-a-kind or limited edition. I can’t tell you how many times customers come back to buy a particular item and find that it’s gone. When we say, “uniquely one-of-a-kind,” it’s not a sales pitch. It’s true!
Business: Enchanted Gifts
Address: 376 Third St., Castle Rock
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Founded: 2002
Contact: 303-688-9395,
Employees: 3
To suggest a business for us to profile, e-mail cwoullard@denverpost.com.
