Shopping the World
Cassandra Tennille: From The Plantation Shop to shopping the world
September 12, 2007
Cassandra Tennille is the
founder, president and chief executive officer of Tennille & Co., formerly named The Plantation
Holdings Group Inc. (PHG), and holds the same roles within each of firm's affiliate companies and
subsidiaries. Tennille & Co. is today a $15 million enterprise and is solidly growing at an
explosive pace. In 1992, Tennille opened her first retail store, The Plantation Shop, in Buckhead.
The shop carried a mix of antiques, gifts and home accessories. In 1998, she acquired her first
retail site, expanding her retail space from 1,800 square feet to more than 7,000 square feet.
Since that time,The Plantation Shop has opened stores in Charlotte, N.C., and will open a store in
Charleston-Mt. Pleasant, S.C., this fall. Tennille has diversified the business and has ventured
globally into the manufacturing of exclusive self-branded product lines, including furniture,
lamps, pillows and her personally designed line of children's clothing. PHG manufactures and
procures products from England, France, China, Peru and El Salvador. She travels to each of these
locations and engages directly in contract negotiations, vendor relationship management and
supply-chain oversight.
In 2004, she purchased property in Midtown, which serves as a warehouse distribution facility for her national Homeshow network and Internet sales, as well as the corporate offices for the umbrella company, PHG, formed in the same year.
AW: At what stage in your business cycle did you decide you needed to expand your operations?
TENNILLE: It was a pivotal time in my company, where the expiration of a lease and the decisions that were thrust upon me at that time forced the question: "Do I want to be a small shop owner, or do I want to build an enterprise?" The path I chose was the latter, and my operations have grown exponentially since.
AW: What were your needs?
TENNILLE: More than anything else I needed control, consistency and a business model that I could see out in front of me. I wanted to be proactive, not reactive.
In my business, if you limit yourself geographically, it places you at the mercy of the supply of the moment, in terms of quality, availability and price. It has become a significant competitive differentiator to have global reach and relationships. This allows me to control the quality and costs of the inventory I carry throughout my stores.
AW: What were the factors that led you to look outside the United States?
TENNILLE: Really it is one factor, and all of the variables that fall into that bucket: competition. I need to have unique inventory, and if I don't have unique inventory then it needs to be of a higher quality and offered at a competitive or lower price. I know that I am being redundant, but business is really that simple to me – quality and cost.
AW: How did you decide on the country to go into?
TENNILLE: I work globally. The world is really just a larger version of our state, meaning that you can get great apples in the foothills outside Ellijay, which is due to their climate. If you are looking for great shrimp, then you head for St. Simon's Island. In the global marketplace, every corner of the world does a better job of doing something right and at a great price than everyone else. For the look I like, France and the U.K. cannot be beaten for gorgeous antiques. My clothing line has had its best success when it is manufactured in specific districts of China, Peru or El Salvador. Even in the clothing trade, these places are really better at specific things. For example, the Salvadorans do beautiful hand-smocking.
AW: What are the top three benefits of opening a business overseas?
TENNILLE: Platinum SkyMiles Delta membership, giving great pricing on great merchandise to my customers, getting product that is exactly what you want, when you want it.
AW: Top three mistakes you made while opening a business.
TENNILLE: Not having an exit strategy the very first day I opened the doors.There is no sense taking a trip if you don't know where you are going. Not exercising redundancy in various aspects of business execution.Now I do everything 3X. I have three vendors for every item, three properties prospecting at once, three banks.
... Everything is gained and nothing is lost when you shore up your efforts with choices.
AW: Biggest surprise you had opening business overseas.
TENNILLE: Two stories: The first would have to be an inspection of product performed at a Chinese factory outside Shanghai. When I walked through the items, the entire work force of 300-plus workers walked with me step by step in a big throng. When I stopped, they stopped.When I leaned to the right and bent down, they did the same. When I smiled, they smiled and chattered approvingly. It was at the same time bizarre and absolutely endearing.The experience taught me that my business is important to these people, and that they truly take pride in their work. The second would be a business lunch on the same day with the executives of the Chinese factory.When the food came out, it was served with the garnish of the entrée's severed head perched atop and looking at me. It was their method of providing quality assurance of freshness. The fact that the eyes had not fully glazed over yet let me know that it was running from the chef only moments before.
AW: Top three most difficult things about opening a business overseas.
TENNILLE: Surprisingly, it was more difficult for me to figure out the nuances of doing business in England than it was in China. The assumption was that because they speak the same language it would be a breeze. Commonality of speech aside, England is a very foreign place with a myriad of idiosyncrasies to overcome when conducting business.
AW: What resources did you use to open your business?
TENNILLE: I have nurtured and protected my banking relationships. I believe that the act of borrowing is an exercise in the ultimate mutual trust. I have always performed to my word, and the benefit has been that my business was backed by great credit lines in our infancy.
