Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT Personal Touch Welcome!
Three questions with Dee Strilowich, owner of Personal Touch Welcome.
Why did you start my business?
I had been a Welcome Wagon lady in Ridgefield for 4½ years and had found my passion, welcoming new families to town with the famous basket of free gifts as I had been welcomed in 1970 when I moved to town! I never forgot that visit!
In 1998 Welcome Wagon discontinued in-home visits and left all of us in the country unemployed. So my husband, Joe, and I decided the service was so important to have new families be introduced to our wonderful community and it’s small businesses that we decided to start our own greeting service, naming it Personal Touch Welcome. I did the welcome visits and Joe handled all the behind-the-scenes duties and joined me out in the community to network. For 20 years this was our life until Joe passed away in Oct. of 2017. Of course, I had to keep our business in place! How rewarding it is to help families settle in and be able to introduce small businesses to those new families!
How many people do I employ?
I am so excited that I found 2 local moms in Ridgefield and recently trained them to be greeters! They have discovered the same love of welcoming as I have and I am so glad to share my passion! Both have children in our school system and love the flexibility of knocking on doors to welcome new families around their own schedules and activities in town. I thought I could have visits done only “my way” and they have proven me wrong! They are awesome! We do welcome visits in Redding as well as Ridgefield and also for parents of new babies and new businesses.
Home visits have been continuous in Ridgefield since as far back as the 1950’s and possibly before that from the days of Welcome Wagon and I wish I could keep them happening for future decades! My journey will be coming to an end at some point. Technology is taking over all careers, it seems, but the “personal touch” is still very important in our neighborhoods! Many of our small businesses have been in the welcome basket for my nearly 25 years, and some were in the basket before I began visits! Steve’s Bagels was the first business to join my basket of gifts!
I would love to “tag” Steve’s Bagels!
To schedule a "Welcome" visit, call Dee 203-830-9970 or email: personaltouchwelcome@gmail.com. Visit Personal Touch Welcome online here.
HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!