When Anne-Marie Joudrey saw on Facebook the store was for sale, she contacted Bonny Sprague and Bonny’s daughter Candace.
Things happened quickly, and Joudrey had her first day at the shop on Feb. 15.
“I didn’t want to see another store close in Liverpool,” says Joudrey, about why she decided to buy the gift shop.
She says she’s been shopping at the store for years.
“Actually, my boyfriend shopped here every Christmas for me,” she says.
The plan is for Bonny to show Joudrey the ropes for a few weeks, and then Joudrey will be running things on her own.
The new owner says she’s never run a business.
“Everything’s all new. It’s exciting,” says Joudrey.
Joudrey, who worked as a cook for 19 years at the Motel Transcotia in Brooklyn, says she’s been out of work for a while.
She says so far things are going well, and a lot of people having been dropping by to say hello.
The store will have much the same feel, though Joudrey says she has a few ideas, one being she’d like to have gift baskets for occasions like birthdays, weddings and Christmas.
The Milton resident lives in her family home. She loves to garden and walk when she has the free time. She and her boyfriend, George Wolfe, have four cats. Joudrey also has a stepson and 16-month-old granddaughter.
“I’m really excited, and I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone,” she says.
The store will be open from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
