A Recent Review By the Wheat City Journal!
Judy Delgatty is the owner of Troika Treasures, a small boutique shop in the Town Centre. It is a specialty store which has a worldwide footprint not only on what it sells, but to whom it sells the treasures. Brent Fitzpatrick of the Wheat City Journal.
Wheat City Journal: What do you do for a living?
Judy Delgatty: I own Troika Treasures, work in the store and have a great time bringing new things to Brandon.
Journal: Have you worked in retail your entire life?
Delgatty: No, Troika Treasures is my first venture in retail.
Journal: How did you get started in it?
Delgatty: I had family in Russia who wanted to facilitate the exporting of items from Russia, so I worked with them on this end, to set up a retail outlet and as that evolved; people started asking for Ukrainian items and other items. So I started bringing in other items people wanted.
Journal: Did you take any business courses?
Delgatty: I went to Assiniboine Community College and graduated in business administration, and I am an accountant and have worked in that capacity. With the directions my life took me, the opportunity arose to go into retail and here I am.
Journal: What is the most unusual thing you have in the store?
Delgatty: Probably the belly dance items. Because it is something people have a demand for right now, I am bringing nice items when I can find them. When they sell, I bring in more. There have been a variety of people who come in the store for this.
Journal: Where do you get them from?
Delgatty: There are a number of suppliers. I’ve travelled all over the world and found various items in different parts of the world. I have suppliers in Canada, India, Asia, Malaysia; there are a variety of places.
Journal: What other countries are represented in your store?
Delgatty: Russia, the Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Manitoba.
Journal: Manitoba?
Delgatty: I get the Ukrainian ceramics from Manitoba and also the Ukrainian eggs. I have a lady that decorates them.
Journal: What about the jewellery?
Delgatty: I have a collective that buys stones from all over the world. I have jewellery that is in Labradorite, which comes from Labrador. I have ocean jasper that comes from Madagascar and is only available when the tide is out.
Journal: Is it hard to find the right items?
Delgatty: I try to find good quality at a good price, because everybody loves good value at a great price.
Journal: You have people buying the belly dance outfits from all over.
Delgatty: There were some ladies through Friday, who were on their way up to Onanole for a (belly dance) workshop. They had been in my store before and just needed to see if they could find some new outfits before they went. They ran into the ditch because of the bad weather, so that delayed them.
Journal: Do you use the internet?
Delgatty: I have a website. I have sent items as far as Singapore and Australia. My Ukrainian music is popular all over the world, because you can’t always find it.
Journal: Ten years ago, would you have said you would be doing what you are doing now?
Delgatty: No. I wouldn’t have said that. It has evolved. It wasn’t a lifelong dream of mine.
Journal: You like people?
Delgatty: I do. Most people just need someone to talk to and to feel comfortable with. I try to provide that.
Journal: And your staff follows that idiom?
Delgatty: I have had very capable and dependable staff that have believed in that philosophy as well. That has served me well.
Journal: What do you take when you go to festivals around the country?
Delgatty: It is like a travelling boutique. I take belly dance items, Ukrainian items, ceramics, Red Hat wear; whatever I think will sell. Not every festival is the same.
Journal: A lot of people, who walk by your store, have that ‘double-take,’ when they see the clothing.
Delgatty: I like that. It works well at the festivals too. The flash that draws people in; they love the sound. They love the colour and it is a lot of colour.
Journal: Have you sold belly dance outfits to men?
Delgatty: I have. Actually quite a few. Men who have alternative lifestyles, come into my store and are looking for a costume. There is no reason why it should be just for women. Men enjoy nice things, and enjoy the colours and sounds.
Journal: Again, looking back to ten years ago, would you think you would be doing that?
Delgatty: I wouldn’t have foreseen it. (laughs) Yet, here I am.
Journal: What makes you smile?
Delgatty: I see some people’s eyes light up when they purchase clothing or jewellery and say, “I’ve been looking for this for ages, and haven’t been able to find it.” I enjoy that. That is satisfying for me.
Journal: What are you reading right now?
Delgatty: I am reading Rudy Weibe’s book on the Mennonite passage from Russia to Canada. I have a Mennonite background. I am finding it tough going, and am persevering. I do have a book on Katherine Hepburn that is waiting in the wings.
Journal: Are you culturally aware?
Delgatty: I enjoy travelling and meeting other people. I find that we have a tendency in Canada to think that the whole world is like we are. Yet once you get beyond our borders, the rest of the world isn’t like Canada. And that is a good thing.
Journal: Do you speak any other languages?
Delgatty: I have a smattering of social graces in various languages. People’s eyes light up when you welcome them in their own language.
Journal: How many languages?
Delgatty: I know the social graces in Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Malaysian and German. It can get me into trouble, because people think I know a lot more about it than I really do.
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