Fun

Passions: Kate Peterson

Published

15 years ago

February 6, 2010

INSTORE Staff Instore March 2010 Issue

Life outside the store

Passions: Kate Peterson

Performance Concepts

Kate Peterson

I was never much of a baker until the time came to plan my older son Kevin’s first birthday party. That’s when I decided I would make his cake myself, and in the process, I discovered a whole new “avenue of madness,” as my kids call it. The boys are now 20 and 15, and with all those birthdays in between — as well as other special occasions and cakes for other relatives and friends — I’m guessing I’ve made well over 100 theme cakes since that first, weak rendition of Big Bird. Some of my favorites have been re-creations of the opening scene from The Lion King, the Rugrats’ playground, a Precious Moments doll (for my mom’s 60th) and a massive stack of holiday presents for an after-school party. Each cake can take from four to 14 hours to make, and most often, the only place I can find that kind of time is overnight. Fortunately, I don’t need much sleep!

Passions: Kate Peterson

The whole process — coming up with an idea, figuring out how to construct it, making it especially tasty and not quitting till it meets my standard for perfection — is not that different to a typical workday for me. Seeing the immediate, tangible result, however, is actually a form of therapy. It is an outlet for my creativity that keeps me laser-focused on one project and that produces (almost) instant gratification.

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This story is from the February 2010 edition of INSTORE

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”