Kindness Campaign Pays Off Big For North Texas Business
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Last year, we featured a local store in our "Ones for Texas" series that had launched a 'Kindness Campaign.'
Winton and Waits in Fort Worth gave away hundreds of luxury candles, for free, to anyone who needed a little dose of kindness. They packaged each candle with a personalized, hand-written note, all to brighten up the tough days during the pandemic and shut down.
Fast forward a year, and their generosity through giving away $30,000 worth of candles has paid off in a big way as they move into a larger retail and warehouse space.
Jenna Lee, the owner and founder of Winton and Waits, says when the shutdown happened, and her business came to a halt, she reminded herself of why she started her business in the first place.
"I woke up that morning and just thought what we can focus on," Lee explains. "Everyone was feeling down and concerned and worried... and the underlying mission of our business and retail store is kindness. We want to share the good, be the happy, and change the world and [the shutdown] gave us an opportunity to live out that mission in such a real and tangible way."
When they started the 'Kindness Campaign' and began giving away candles, they saw a 2,800% increase in website traffic.
They say that boost, helped to introduce them to new customers which has paved the way for their expansion into a new space. In the new storefront, they plan to continue cultivating intentional experiences for their customers, while also, continuing to focus on products that give back to the community.
"It has been a practice in resilience, and it is something that we are really proud of," Lee said. "The fact we are still here, still moving forward, still dreaming, still being creative with new ideas. All of that just feels like we are doing what we are supposed to be doing."
"Things might not always look like what we expected, but they can still be beautiful and that is what we are doing here... we are making things beautiful."
Their new store and warehouse are located on South Main Street in Fort Worth. The grand re-opening is Friday, April 16, where that evening the store will be hosting local entrepreneurs who were either brave enough to start or pivot their business during the pandemic.
