Today we’d like to introduce you to Arjola Azizaj.
Arjola, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started two years ago, when I moved to USA with my family from Albania (Southeastern Europe). My mom had found Gordon’s of Beverly on Craigslist and she had a job interview. She couldn’t speak any English at that time and asked me to help her with translation (at least for the first week). I remember the first daycare (general manager) interviewed my mom, showed us the facilities and made me feel really comfortable. Later on that day we met the owners and another lady working there, Caroline. I was surprised how supportive was, and still is, each and every one of them.
The next day, Juanita, the owner asked me to help her putting yellow rose and white paper together to print the invoices .After I was done ,I came with the statement :’That’s my first job in USA’ ! She handed me a $5.00 bill, which I’ll save forever (on a white envelope as “first money earned in USA”). Two days after that, Amra told me she had spoken with owner and they wanted to hire me as a helper in the store. Of course I said yes right away!
It was a temporary offer, but I take jobs very seriously, so I’m still here today after 2 years! I started as a helper in the store, reorganizing the space and cleaning, than I stared getting more involved taking phone calls and helping customers. After eight months I was in charge of the embroidery department. Within the first year I started representing the company at Beverly Chamber of Commerce, business meetings and other networking events, as retail manager. Now, I also take care of social media marketing.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If it is a smooth road, I don’t even like it! I found myself getting more and more involved and taking new responsibilities every day. I’ve had previous management experiences, a law degree and good knowledge of English language, but this was completely new to me.
Step by step I got to know more about the different approach that Americans has to customer care and business relationships in general, compared to Europeans. I first started taking customer phone call orders with an average English proficiency learned mostly in high school. Besides that, there was a whole new English words and products in the store that I never ever heard of or seen before. I had to research about certain (notions and sewing supplies) so I would be able to explain customer how and where they’re used. There were a lot of uncomfortable moments in the beginning with several customers, but no matter what I had to be informed, helpful and looked professional!
The next challenge was ‘EMBROIDERY’ a word that I didn’t know it’s meaning unless I was asked to do this job. We have professional embroidery machines and a great potential of making awesome craftsmanship. George, the owner proposed me to start focusing on embroidery. It took me a while to figure out about industrial machines, maintenance, (which I always thought it was a men job) and the creative art of embroidery. With his help and a lot of after work studying every possible manual, we made a big progress. Now we count more than 50 local businesses that get their logos embroidered at Gordon’s of Beverly and lots of other customers that would always come back to personalize more gifts by adding custom embroidery. It’s been a long road on a short period of time, but I think the real struggle is to be creative and stand out from others! I’m glad I did not gave up: trying again after every mistake, and challenging myself every day!
Please tell us about Gordon’s of Beverly.
Gordon’s of Beverly was founded in the spring of 1996. The place known as Gordon’s Fabrics was created mainly to support the parent company Theological Thread and became a good source of supplies for people that sew. Having a limited employee number, against the odds, helped Gordon’s grow and improve throughout the years. Hardworking, dedicated employees are an added value to the company. The friendly working environment affects positively on being more creative, thus the company sales and profits are constantly increasing. The most important thing still remains the interaction with community and keeping the costumers happy. Gordon’s is well known for donation, especially in education institutions such as high schools. We always want to be helpful by providing fabric and other supplies for high school extracurricular activities (plays, musical, and shows) over the years we have added Beverly Theme gifts, Cat’s Meow Collectibles, post cards, etc. This makes Gordon’s the one and only place to find theme gifts exclusively for Beverly! What makes us special is the fact that we provide several services like : custom embroidery, scissors and knife sharpening, sewing machine repair, custom imprinting on mugs and other gift items ,alteration and tailoring .Approaching to the community with convenient prices, very needed services and a quick turnaround time is the key to success. We are proud for as much as we have accomplished so far and we know that there is a lot more to be done!
Contact Info:
- Address: 48 Park Street , Beverly, Massachusetts 01915
- Website: www.gordonsofbeverly.com
- Phone: 9789212612
- Email: gordons@theothreads.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gordonsofbeverly
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gordons-of-Beverly-473879436047195/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GordonofBeverly
- Other: www.theologicalthreads.com
Image Credit:
Lauren Poussard Creative Studio
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
