Video by Cooper Slough
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
It might not be a stop during your routine shopping, but anyone that has planned a party or sought that unique gift has found Tandy’s and Kollections invaluable.
Now, the two stores have merged and those exclusive Hallmark gifts that bring people from throughout the area to Hays and those hard to find party supplies can be found in Tandy’s Gifts, located in Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine.
“It worked out so perfectly when we met Kathy and John (Schupman), it just seemed like a perfect match for us,” said Tandy Kornechuk, previous owner of Tandy’s.
Kornechuk owned the Hays Hallmark for over ten years and another location in Dodge City for over 43 years.
After her husband had sold his business, Kornechuk decided it would be a good time for her to sell as well, but was happy someone was able to continue the Hallmark brand in Hays and enjoys the changes made so far.
“She’s done such a great job. It just looks so pretty and the thing that is so perfect is the match of the party balloons to what we had with the Hallmark product. It just ties in so well,” Kornechuk said of new owner, Kathy Schupman, who previously owned and operated Kollections.
But while Kornechuk has officially given over the reins to Schupman, she said she’s offered to give a little assistance.
“Tandy has offered to talk to me now and then if I need help or guidance,” Schupman said.
“That will be fun,” Kornechuk said. “So I’m still in it a little bit.”
With the merger, the location lost its Gold Crown status, but customers may not see any loss in the availability of their exclusive items.
“With the purchase of the business from the Kornechuk’s, Gold Crown does not transfer, that is a long process and you have to maintain exact products,” Schupman said.
Through a little leg work, however, she worked out a deal that will still allow the same items to be sold that would be found in a Gold Crown location, knowing how important those items are to people in the area.
“We want to continue to facilitate our customers with the products that they have grown accustomed to and are collecting because Hallmark has a lot of collectible items and we will continue to provide that,” Schupman said. That’s very important to us.”
“That’s very important to us.”
Another change to the business following the sale includes the loss of the ability to use the Crown Rewards program in the location but Schupman worked out a plan to address that as well, creating a loyalty program that she said is on-par or better than the Crown Rewards program and a new point-of-sale system transferred Crown Rewards members into the new system after the merger.
“That’s good because it was limited to just the Hallmark product before,” Kornechuk said.
The Kollections connection
The merger of Tandy’s and Kollections is not Schupman’s first, just last year she took over Paper Mart Party Center, with products from that business now being incorporated into Tandy’s.
“When I bought the Paper Mart Party Center in 2015 and when this whole thing happened, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to marry two turnkey businesses that each of them has provided over 20 years of customer service to this area and put them together,” Schupman said.
Now Tandy’s will feature over 40 paper color products and a balloon selection unique to Hays.
The business features balloon designing, with employees having attended balloon school, including Schupman. One small feature of the new location is a direct exit from Big Creek Crossing that allows customers to take balloon assortments straight from the store to the parking lot.
Balloon delivery for large parties is also available.
With a Hallmark customer base reaching as far as Oklahoma, Schupman is hopeful the new additions to the previous ones will create a one-stop party supply location and will help keep Hays a regional shopping hub.
“We have pre-orders for (Hallmark) ornaments from Oklahoma, Dodge City, Goodland, Great Bend, Garden City and that is bringing revenue into this community and that’s a plus for this area,” she said.
Thoughts on a new home
Having been in Big Creek Crossing for over five weeks, Schupman is upbeat about being inside a high traffic shopping center.
“The Mall has been very good in working with me to facilitate this move. They have exhibited nothing but enthusiasm about welcoming me here,” she said.
And being in a location with significantly higher foot traffic has allowed her to lower prices, offsetting the slight customer cost increase created by the CID in Big Creek Crossing.
Big Creek Crossing Property Manager Katie Dorzweiler is enthusiastic about the move as well.
“We’re really excited to have Kathy. She’s already been a pillar of the community,” she said.
In addition to being a business owner in Hays, Schupman is the Quartermaster of the VFW post 9076 and is only one of two women in Ellis County to serve on the honor guard. In that role, she is currently working to get more women involved in the VFW.
While not originally from Kansas, she moved here in 2008 and her husband and co-owner of Tandy’s, John, is from Hays and the couple have no plans to leave the area.
“I think it’s going to be a great fit, everybody already loved her for the party aspect she brought and her roots to Kansas and Kansas made items,” Dorzweiler said.
“We’re all about neighbors and family feel and she is truly that,” she said.