Warembo Gift Shop is a popular business in Eldoret town. Written in bold letters, the name is both visible and alluring. The popular shop is the brainchild of Elizabeth Nguku. She chose an early retirement from a government job in order to focus on establishing a business.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Retirement and venturing into business
Elizabeth worked as a field extension officer in the ministry of Agriculture. She retired from the job at the age of 38 in 1996.
For her retirement package, she received Ksh300,000. Her plan was to establish a clothing retail store. However, the unpredictable world of business would lead her down a different path.
They used to sell footwear and other aparells but soon realized that people were into gifts. This was not something they had thought about but she seized the opportunity upon realizing demand.
Warembo Gift Shop
“We never knew that gifting was a business. We used to sell footwear, baby clothes, and inner garments but with time, we had many customers requesting various items to be wrapped as gifts.
The requests kept coming and we decided to focus on this business, we also bought special gift boxes because that’s what customers demanded,” she told Business Daily.
As more people became interested in gifts, she reduced the footwear and baby clothes. Today, she runs the gift shop and has employed about 8 workers. Her husband has been very supportive with the business and helped pump in finances when they needed it.
The shop is comprises of a diverse array of gifts sourced locally and internationally. It has jewelry, artwork, and carvings among other things. The business has been so successful that she has opened two branches in Eldoret Central Business District.
Clients and prices
The business attracts clients of all ages from different parts, such as, Baringo, Iten, Kakamega and Nandi. At the beginning, she would receive about 20 clients on a daily basis but this has grown to about 150 clients.
The most profitable seasons are during holidays, like April and December and on occasions like Valentines. The gift range from as low as Ksh100 to as high as Ksh50,000.
Lessons and advice
Along the way, Elizabeth Nguku has learnt the importance of maintaining good relations with customers and suppliers. She also emphasizes on the importance of ensuring that one doesn’t take long to pay for goods procured on credit.
The gift shop proprietor also learnt the disadvantages of advancing goods on credit, especially to friends. They either never pay or take too long to pay which leads to losses on the business. She also advised that people should not wait until retirement to start a business.
