Happy New Year everyone! Cheers to a fresh start and a bright future. 2019 is going to be our best year yet we have lots of exciting things planned but first let’s look back at 2018 and celebrate all we accomplished as a team. This year we wanted to encourage our staff to get involved on our social media platforms. We are so grateful that many of the employees stepped up and contributed fabulous ideas, pictures and videos, that we’ve posted on Facebook and Instagram! We grow by listening to others, learning from their ideas, and empowering the individuals that help us achieve our goals.
We started off last year with some changes to our consignment terms and lots of new inventory at our four locations; Oakville, Hamilton, Aurora and Kitchener!
In January 2018, we launched our new blog! The one you are looking at right now! Basically just a re-shuffle of our latest content, inspiration, sales and events, job postings and our store videos. That was a big goal for us this year, to post more videos! And we certainly did as you will see in the recap! The new theme made the blog easier to navigate and showcases our content in a beautiful way. Based on your feedback from our first ever customer survey we then added the Markdown Prices to our website! On each item, we indicate the arrival date, markdown schedule, and reduced prices! Check it out.
We also received a delivery of brand-new designer furniture at our Kitchener and Hamilton stores.
We started sharing some awesome before and after pictures! This piece was refinished by my Mom, so that makes it extra special! She sold it in the Aurora store.
We started a before & after contest! Read about it here! Send us a before & after picture of your space decorated with finds from The Millionaire’s Daughter and you will be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to our stores! Email pictures to [email protected]
All of a sudden Spring was around the corner and we started filling our stores with patio furniture on consignment! It was a pleasure to have the Oakville Chamber of Commerce to our store to film a segment for the Oakville Awards for Business Excellence Gala in March. As the recipient of last years RBC Small Business of the Year award, Maureen was interviewed in the video and gave advice to other entrepreneurs.
We then received a HUGE shipment of designer fabrics and brand new furniture at our Kitchener, Oakville and Aurora stores! In the mix, there was find on-trend Robert Allen fabric, Joann Fabrics and hundreds of other designer upholstery fabrics that can be used for anything your heart desires. Literally hundreds of rolls sold in just a few months. Our customers love fabric apparently!
In late March we said farewell to our long-time employee Ann Marie, wishing her a very happy retirement up north in Muskoka! Ann Marie is one of the most kind-hearted people on this planet and was the Manager of the Aurora store for several years and she is missed by our staff, customers and consignors. We are lucky that Ann Marie comes and visits us occasionally! So nice to stay in touch.
At the beginning of April, Maureen and I recorded new radio commercials at 953 Fresh Radio! Maureen is a pro, but I was nervous since this was my first time! It was a great experience, always very cool to watch the process go on behind the scenes.
April also brought along some crazy weather in Southern Ontario! We experienced power outages and damage from a wind storm and ice. Despite technical issues and no wifi we can still move a lot of furniture! We love what we do! In April we also had a surprise flash sale on our website and surpassed 10k likes on Facebook, a longtime goal!
Hanging lights continued to be one of our best sellers!
We celebrated the 9th anniversary of The Millionaire’s Daughter Hamilton!
The Aurora store got a new storefront sign for Spring! Looking fresh!
We wrote a blog post about Rightsizing! And so many of you related.
Rightsizing your home is just that; making your home fit your lifestyle, instead of the other way around. As we move through our lives our needs change. As the years add up – so do our possessions and the burden of maintaining what we no longer need or use… Read the blog here!
Maureen and I had the privilege of speaking to over 150 women at the Art Gallery of Burlington as the guest speakers of the Burlington Central Probus – May Meeting. We were so touched by all the wonderful compliments and feedback we received from our presentation.
We were also on the Humble & Fred Radio show! These guys are hilarious and it was such a great experience. We were so appreciative of another fun opportunity to talk about the business, especially with Howard and Fred, who have been on the air in the GTA since 1989!
We released professional gift cards that are re-loadable and can be used at any of The Millionaire’s Daughter store locations and never expire! This was something that we worked on for a long time!
We continued to film video tours of the stores! And participating in the first annual Shop Hop on Ottawa Street in June.
We received a delivery of some really amazing Mackenzie-Childs outdoor furniture pieces from a mansion home, lakefront in Oakville! These pieces are all sold now but they were seriously incredible.
Grabbed a copy of the summer Our Homes Magazine Hamilton and Area! This was especially exciting because The Millionaire’s Daughter was featured in a two-page spotlight article!
The Oakville store celebrated their 6th anniversary! A big thank you to our many loyal consignors and customers who are a major part of our success.
We shared even more great before & afters!
Maureen and I made a video about why change can be a good thing!
Our 360 Virtual Tours went live on Google Maps & Streetview! See every bit of the in our 360 Virtual Tours! So many lovely things to see and the vignettes are constantly changing. The staff is always working hard to make this store look beautiful. A reminder that not all the furniture featured in this tour will still be available at this time.
Our Aurora store turned 5 years old! I started Part-Time at The Millionaire’s Daughter just after graduating university in 2013. I quickly fell in love with the business and knew I could contribute more! Soon after we opened I became the manager of the store and then moved into my current role Digital Marketing, Social Media and Advertising! Five years can go by in the blink of an eye when you are loving what you do. Happy Anniversary Aurora!
Life is always a rollercoaster! And in mid September we said goodbye to our longtime employee Kari and wished her good fortune with her company Kari plus Co, which is dedicated to fine design and gorgeous simplicity.
Maureen was chosen to be part of the Fall 2018 Our Homes Oakville magazine PEOPLE Feature!
Congratulation went out to our Aurora store in the Fall. They were handpicked as one of the Top 3 Furniture stores in Aurora, Ontario! Congrats to our friends at Saturday Afternoons & Irvine Robinson Interiors, we are so proud to be among the best of the best!
In the Fall we also received a shipment of designer furniture, took over the Ottawa Street BIA’s Instagram for a day, and had a great time at the Annual Sidewalk Sale in Hamilton!
Lisa’s videos made us laugh all year long.
Loved all the ways the ladies in Oakville displayed item on the white shelf unit this year! If you frequent our store on Speers Road you will definitely have seen these displays.
It was that time of year again, we began to organize, input and price Christmas consignments!
Another pieces of great news came our way in October! The Hamilton Spectator Reader’s Choice Award winners were announced and we were so thrilled to be voted 1st place Consignment store, 1st place Antique store, 1st place Furniture store – USED and 2nd place Furniture store – NEW (1st place went to IKEA!). Feeling grateful and very honoured to be at the top of these lists among some incredible businesses & merchants in Hamilton. We are so appreciative of the community support.
The bridge in Kitchener re-opened! And Maureen went on the radio with Austin and Dave from The Grand at 101. On Saturday, November 24 at the Kitchener store to celebrate their 2nd anniversary! Some stunning pictures of the Kitchener store taken by one of our staff members Breanna!
We had the pleasure of hosting a Downsizing & Decluttering seminar, put on by Downsizing Diva – Aurora, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Thornhill & King at The Millionaire’s Daughter Aurora. It went so well! Arlene’s expertise on this topic made for a fascinating and inspiring event. We were so glad to have the opportunity to share her with our customers!
More awesome before & afters! Absolutely love this photo taken by Kari of her daughter’s room makeover. That beautiful antique bed was purchased from The Millionaire’s Daughter Kitchener store.
Santa’s back in town! Ho Ho Hello from Mr. Claus and his doppelgänger friends! Love this picture was courtesy of Lynn at our Hamilton store. Of course, Lynn and Maureen got involved in the Ottawa Street Lip Sync! Watch them sing Jingle Bell Rock!
We blogged our BIGGEST Holiday Gift Guide EVER in December! The staff from our stores rounded up over 50 gift-able treasures. Often second-hand items are over-looked this time of year when in reality resale treasures can make the best unique and thoughtful gifts, and save you money!
The Christmas wonderland room at the Oakville store was such a success with customers that when holiday inventory ran low then transformed the back display room into a drapery gallery! What a great way to kick of 2019!
These were our top liked photos on Instagram in 2018! A HUGE thank you to all of YOU for the love this year. We have exciting things coming in 2019! Thanks for taking a look back at the year with us.
