Just over a year ago, Wilma Staples decided she wanted to go back into business.
Having owned a children's clothing store, a dress shop and a day-care center, she was looking for something a little different.
After purchasing the old fish processing plant building, located at 717 U.S. 82 West, she and her husband began a lengthy remodeling process.
The Cargo Dock, a home decor outlet, opened for business July 1.
Staples said that with her children grown, she wanted a small business she could operate on her own and continue to do the books for her husband's construction business.
But Staples will quickly tell you that the business has been anything but small. "It takes the whole family to run it," she said. Her two sons, Tyler and Adam, work at the store, and her husband, Paul, also helps out.
Staples decided to carry home decorating items because there are very few places to purchase them in the area.
"I just saw that there was a need," Staples said.
The Cargo Dock started out as a closeout store. "We buy it at a cheap price and pass it along," Staples said.
But things have taken off from there. The store has grown considerably in the first six months, she said.
"We lucked up, I guess. It has been great," Staples said.
The Cargo Dock carries a large selection of wrought iron, paintings, furniture and other decorative items. But pottery is her biggest seller, Staples said.
The Cargo Dock has merchandise imported from places such as Mexico, Africa and Taiwan.
Staples even uses flags on the roof of the building to symbolize the countries where her merchandise comes from. The flags also catch the attention of people traveling along U.S. 82, she said.
At the Cargo Dock, "you never know what you're going to find," she said. "We bring in something new almost every day."
With the Cargo Dock's high-visibility location, Staples says her business has attracted customers from throughout the state and other states as well.
"A lot of people just see it, and a lot is by word of mouth," she said.
Staples said she never realized how important it was to think about what you put outside a business.
"A lot of people think that all we have is out front. They don't realize there are things inside, too," she said.
With the first few months of business being such a success, Staples is looking forward to the coming year.
She is this year's first new member of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce.
She was recruited to the chamber by Dale Persons of Viking Range Corp.
