Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 17
In love with retail
A stunning environment, with merchandise to match.
one of the aspects of tea that intrigued and drew Cubelic to the
herbal beverage, beyond its tasty
therapeutic qualities, is the fact that
it can serve as a gateway to learning about other cultures and ways
of living, which is exactly what she
exposed herself to when studying in
asia under the tutelage of Chinese
and Taiwanese herbalists and tea
masters. during her time overseas
Cubelic learned the ins and outs and
all of the subtleties related to tea,
returning with a designation as Tea
Master and a wealth of knowledge
that, residing in North america, set
her apart from her contemporaries
as a leading authority on tea.
"i had become used to exploring
www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer
how can small and independent retailers differentiate their businesses from
larger retailers?
"Through uniqueness and authenticity
and by remaining agile. huge buying
power provides a lot of opportunities.
but, being smaller means you're so much
more agile, allowing you to make changes
so much more rapidly, responding to
consumer demand that much quicker."
teas in ways that most North americans were not accustomed to," she
says. "and i had also been exposed
to really high quality tea. i felt that
if other Canadians were exposure to
the same high quality teas, it would
be revolutionary in the same way
that it was for the wine industry in
North america in the 1960s."
She was right. an opportunity to
open a store in Victoria's Chinatown
presented itself, and when it did
Cubelic jumped at it, realizing almost immediately that she was not
only in love with tea and the culture
that surrounds it, but she also possessed an untapped passion for retail as well.
"When i opened Silk Road, what
surprised me most was that i actually really loved the business side of
the operation. From the very beginning i was intrigued by the merchandising, the psychology of sales and
the interaction and engagement with
customers. all of those things really
fascinated me. i learned early on that
retail is perhaps the most interesting and dynamic line of work that
any business person can undertake,
because it provides you with a live
laboratory in which to try new things
out and see how customers respond."
it's within this live laboratory which
Cubelic seems to thrive, constantly
testing and innovating to improve
her business and the shopping experience for her customers. Today Silk
Road offers its customers a wide variety of organic loose teas, a range of
teaware, a selection of bath and body
products that include soaps, massage
oils, aromatherapy, bath salts, skin
care and hair care, as well as an award-
Winter 2015 | caNadIaN RETaIlER
| 17
http://www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015
Publisher's Desk
Retail Currents
Retail: At Issue
Steeped in Success
Tips to Market on a Budget, Part 1 of 2: Digital Outreach
Celebrating 50 Years of Relevance and Growth
Frequent Flyers
Marketing to Millennials
CANEX: Extending Support through E-Commerce
Advertiser's Index
Retail Quick Tips
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - cover1
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - cover2
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 3
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 4
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 5
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Publisher's Desk
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 7
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Retail Currents
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 9
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 10
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 11
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Retail: At Issue
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 13
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 14
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 15
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Steeped in Success
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 17
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 18
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 19
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 20
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 21
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 22
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Tips to Market on a Budget, Part 1 of 2: Digital Outreach
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 24
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 25
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 26
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 27
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Celebrating 50 Years of Relevance and Growth
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 29
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 30
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 31
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Frequent Flyers
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 33
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 34
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 35
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Marketing to Millennials
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 37
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 38
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 39
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - CANEX: Extending Support through E-Commerce
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 41
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 42
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 43
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 44
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Advertiser's Index
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - Retail Quick Tips
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - cover3
Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0617
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0517
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0417
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0317
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0217
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0117
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0616
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0516
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0416
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0316
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0216
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0116
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0615
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0515
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0415
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0315
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0215
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0115
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0614
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0514
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0414
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0314
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0214
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0114
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0613
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0513
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0413
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0313
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/GrandPrix2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0213
https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/RETS/RETS0113
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/RETS0209
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com