In June 2022, Coleen and Matt Warzala opened Nothing’s Perfect in Necedah, Wisconsin. The crafty gift shop features reclaimed objects that have been stylized and repurposed into home décor. For example, in this one-of-a-kind shop you might find items crafted by the couple like skis made into a unique bookshelf or an industrial cart redesigned into a table. Matt handles most of the bigger construction and building tasks. Coleen primes, paints, and finishes these as well as creates some of the smaller crafts.
Main Street Bouncecback Assistance
Coleen said, “One of our biggest and continuing challenges is funding. We are so grateful that we were awarded a Main Street Bounceback grant that helped us pay those first few months of rent and enabled us to add to our inventory.”
She also took advantage of the Main Street Bounceback Technical Assistance program which offers existing small businesses in Wisconsin no-cost educational resources, expert consulting, and specialized training. She enrolled in classes such as Business Taxes 101 and Mastering Sales for Small Business Owners. Coleen said, “The classes were a huge help! I learned the most applicable skills for my business in the classes that focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Those were a real game changer for me! The marketing-focused classes also really assisted me by aiding in finding free resources and apps I could use to help create my logo.”
Community Involvement
Nothing’s Perfect likes to be involved in the local community. Once per month in the summer, they host a market in Necedah’s Main Street Park, which is just down the block from their retail location. Coleen said, “We invite vendors to sell their crafts, flea market items, and edible goods.”
They also participate twice annually with other shops in the area in a “passport” event. Shoppers visit each location to get their passport stamped and then have a chance to win a prize offered by each of the businesses. These Summer Road Trip and Holiday Hustle passport events are favorites in the community.
Entrepreneurial Journey
Coleen said, “We love the creative freedom that comes with being business owners. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities, but at the end of the day, it’s just so much fun!”
In the future, the duo hopes to expand into a multi-faceted business. “We know firsthand what it’s like to struggle as a small business and, because of that, our hope is to eventually be able to help other businesses succeed. We’d like to find a larger space in the future and while we have a lot of ideas for what that space could become, our main focus would be to help entrepreneurs get their start by providing affordable rental space, along with any additional tools, resources, and opportunities we can offer to support their success,” Coleen said.
A piece of advice she offered to others just beginning their entrepreneurial journey is, “Keep trying! If one idea doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean it’s the end. Try something else. You never know what’s going to stick.”
