“I soon realized that there's nothing cooler than being a mom-and-pop operation.”

Ask almost any small business owner and they’ll tell you their small business is a big deal to them. For Danny Missikewitz who has spent the better part of his adult life owning and operating a retail store in downtown Stettler, his small business is more than a big deal, it’s a substantial part of who he is and how he sees a changing world.

Danny hung his shingle on his first store, Dandy Variety, more than 20 years ago. The discount store on Stettler’s main street was his first foray into a world of business he hoped to take by storm. 

The Dandy Variety business model worked well at first, but as big box, bricks-and-mortar stores started taking market share, Danny needed to reposition. He pivoted, started carrying more mid-range items and then changed the product focus to party favours and giftware. That was the birth of his current store, Party Maxx. 

These days, online retailers like Amazon have taken a big bite out of the party supply market, and Danny has maneuvered around that, focussing on craft supplies and giftware — a wise move in a pandemic that’s keeping people at home, eager for something to do. Owning a retail business means being agile and ready to pivot, says Danny, who’s no stranger to the fickle ways of retail. 

Danny’s father and his father before him worked in department stores, so he knew a thing or two about retail before opening his store. “The pace of change is just so different than previous generations. My father is no longer here, but if he was, he would say more has happened (in retail) in the last 15 to 17 years than the 60 years preceding.”

Danny’s grandfather worked for Simpson’s Sears. Danny’s father worked for Kresge’s from 1949-to 1965 or so. All of his siblings own stores. “I guess you could say it’s in our blood,” he says. In many ways, Danny followed in his father’s footsteps when he opened his first store in 2001. But by 2010, he was ready to shake off the small business label and grow his operation. “If I were to be totally honest, I was out to prove something. I wanted to try and do something that my father wasn't able to do.”

Danny opened two new stores in Camrose and started dividing his time between the three stores, navigating the complexities of staff, stock and stores over three locations in two towns. He learned very quickly that spreading himself thin wasn’t his thing.

“I thought that the mom-and-pop operation was something that I needed to grow out of. I thought the point was to get more stores and a bigger company,” he says. “I soon realized that there's nothing cooler than being a mom-and-pop operation.”

For Danny, the experience of realizing ‘bigger isn’t better’ taught him about who he is and the kind of businessperson he wanted to be. “I always say, when I had two stores, I didn’t have time to bend over and pick up the gum wrappers on the floor. I had to learn to ignore them and look at the big picture. I can't do that and I'm okay with that.”

Danny has settled into being a one-store man and he relishes focussing on creating a good place: a store that serves his customers and the community as well as his staff. “Customer service is a top priority for me…but my staff comes first, and customers come second because the customers are only looked after if you take care of your staff.”

Over the years, Danny’s focus has shifted from business growth to something more lasting. He takes pride in being hands on in the store and helping customers as well as helping out in the community. In fact, last month, his store was able to raise almost $10,000 for a local Christian camp in one day.  

“Ultimately, I hope that when I’m done working, I’ll be able to stand back and look at my years with the business and know that I had a part in making the community a little bit better.”

Get in touch with Danny at Party Maxx