COLBYS Hokey Pokey
107 & 111 E Colbys St
Downtown Whitehall, MI 49461

The Colby Sisters
Diane, Caryl, Gretchen
&
Hokey Pokey Crew

231 894-6585

Email:  Contact@ColbysHokeyPokey.com

OPEN 11-6pm 7 days per week
Closed: Thanksgiving eve & Christmas Eve at 3pm
Thanksgiving & Christmas Day

New business thrives in ailing economy

Whitehall, MI, March 20, 2009 – Remember rollerskating to “Hokey Pokey” in the 60s? “You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out…”

Try this. Same tune, new words. You put your table in, they take your painting out, you bring your linens in and you shake the creases out. You do the Hokey Pokey as you are  checking out…that’s what it’s all about.  

These days, Colbys Hokey Pokey is a spacious shop in the middle of Whitehall, Michigan, population roughly 2,500, created by three sisters who were doing that dance in their teens and 35 years later gave the name to their latest retail venture. 

“We had a great business idea but couldn’t find anyone who wanted to try it, so we opened it ourselves,” says Gretchen Jacobson, who came up with the concept and got enthusiastic support from sisters Caryl Ozar and Diane Ingalls. An intrepid trio, the women are affectionately known to their friends as the “Colby girls.”

Like an antique or flea market mall, Colbys Hokey Pokey leases space to a couple dozen “partners” who bring in merchandise to sell, and who each work shifts to cover the floor. But there are no booths here, no dusty collectables or chipped dishes. This place is hip, bright and sassy, with a sizeable inventory that ranges from new quilts and table linens to vintage furniture, contemporary art, cottage-style accessories and clever reinvented pieces. Beautiful lines of ladies discounted designer clothing - most pieces under $20 - occupy about 20 percent of the space.  

It’s apparent that the shop is hitting the mark. Customers come seeking furniture for houses and cottages, gifts for friends and treasures that don’t bust the budget. With its always-on coffee pot, Colbys Hokey Pokey sets a welcoming tone and is a balm for shoppers as the economy continues to sputter.  

“This is a place people can afford,” says Caryl, the techno-wizard in the family, who troubleshoots their state-of-the art software that tracks inventory and sales.

On a recent blustery day in March, there were, for example, beautiful wingback chairs for under $150, which Gretchen advised would likely be gone before the weekend. An elegant designer glass dining table and chairs, priced at about 20% of its original cost, was set with white-on-white dishes and vintage crystal.  

Shiny brass candlesticks, kitchen bowls, pewter bells and a child’s rocking chair were each priced at under $20. Hand-painted tables and cabinets - the hallmark of one of the partners - were well under $200. Night stands and end tables could be picked up for under $40, and double layer mittens hand-made from felted wool sweaters were $30. A 1950s dinette set in classic primary colors was paired with dishes that would have made Lucy Ricardo smile. And several new leather couches had just arrived.

New and vintage jewelry occupies glass display cabinets. Customer favorites include quirky pieces made from old typewriter keys, rings with clock faces and locally-made fused glass pendants. In all, Colbys Hokey Pokey has more than 4,500 square feet of just plain cool stuff that spans several decades and moves quickly.

As word spreads, Colbys Hokey Pokey has become a destination for the curious up and down the lakeshore and from Grand Rapids, 60 miles away.

“When a customer is interested in a piece and they tell me they want to think about it for a few days, I ask if they can live without it,” says Diane. “If they like it but can’t make up their mind, I recommend they put it on 24-hour hold. Otherwise, they stand a good chance of coming back and finding that it’s been purchased by someone else.”

Furniture and accessories are staged in coordinated vignettes and reset every Monday. The weekly facelift keeps the store looking fresh and fun and rotates the merchandise to give everything a chance at best placement.

The partners pay a per-square-foot fee plus 10% of the purchase price of each item they sell. It’s an affordable option that lets them indulge is the bliss of buying and selling and showcasing their talents without the overhead, inventory and risk of owning their own shop.

And settlement checks, cut on the first of each month, confirm that Colbys Hokey Pokey is working well for both buyers and sellers.  

Born and raised in this little hamlet, the Colby girls are committed to supporting Whitehall and its sister city, Montague, just across the bridge. Their roots run deep here. Like their parents before them, they’ve raised their kids here, and they champion local events from parades and school sports to community fundraisers.  

Though they had no crystal ball to predict this scary economy, they clearly opened the right store in the right place at the right time.

Colbys Hokey Pokey is open seven days a week and occupies two adjoining storefronts at 107 and 111 E. Colby Street.

Written by Susan Newhof  March 2009