Small businesses get a big welcome

CHENEY – It’s been a couple of months since Leslie Johnston opened Cabin Fever in the old Rose of Sharon building on First and G streets in Cheney, but Pathways to Progress, the city of Cheney and the West Plains Chamber of Commerce threw her a party last week to celebrate the addition of the Pottery Shed on the other half of the building.

“We really welcome you to the city of Cheney,” said City Council member Curt Huff.

“Small business is the life blood, not only of the Cheney and West Plains communities, but of America,” said Matthew Pederson, the chamber’s executive director.

When Cabin Fever opened June 21, Johnston was selling antiques – many of which were her own. She rents space to other antique dealers for a dollar per square foot per month. Johnston said some of the walls in the hangar-shaped building are curved and it’s hard to hang things on the walls, so she would consider discounting that space.

She also sells pieces on consignment for folks who are just looking to get rid of certain items and get a little cash in return for them.

Anyone browsing through the store can find items such as couches, kitchen utensils and a Remington typewriter.

On July 23, Johnston’s husband, Mike, opened the Pottery Shed, a paint-your-own pottery shop on the other side of the building.

Leslie Johnston said the prices range from $6 to $35. There is no firing fee or supply fee, it is just the price on the bottom of the piece.

The kiln is in the basement and customers should get their hand-painted creations back in about a week. There are plans in the works for evening group appointments for the Pottery Shed.

Leslie Johnston decided to open her own store after being laid off last year from another job. She picked Cheney because she and her husband bought a house at Fish Lake three years ago. She has been surprised by the welcoming atmosphere and said the favorite thing in her store is the customers.

“Everyone is so nice,” she said. “Whether they buy something or not, they just seem all very supportive.”

Currently, the Johnstons don’t have any employees, but Johnston’s daughter, Jenniffer Durling, 25, stops by the store on her days off to help out her mother.

Along with the antiques in the store and the paint-your-own pottery, Johnston keeps a tablet of paper in the store for customers to share what they wished Cabin Fever would carry.

The welcoming party was a nice surprise for Johnston, who said she knows people who have owned their own businesses in bigger cities who haven’t received much attention.

“It’s nice that they make you feel welcome and special,” she said.