3Elephants & Company never forgets ‘hometown feel’

Matthew Day

Staff

December 30, 2024

SHEBOYGAN – In case you hadn’t “herd,” a parade of pachyderms has set up shop in downtown Sheboygan. 

Since May, 3Elephants & Company has peddled crafts, artwork and countless other handmade products from local creators and artists, with such wares as decorations, clothes, candies, koozies, hygiene and personal care products, framed illustrations, ready-made mixes and seasonings for drinks and dips, utensils and mugs. 

In fact, Jackee Kaiser – who co-owns the store with her husband Andy – said though 3Elephants has only been open at 1503 N. 8th St. for about eight months, she is already envisioning a relocation/expansion. 

“We’re growing, so we’re looking for a larger space at this time to increase the availability of products for other (vendors),” Kaiser said. “I didn’t anticipate us growing as fast as we did, but in less than a year, we need to move.” 

The elephant in the room 

With a store like this, one cannot help but wonder: how did it get its “unforgettable” name? 

“The three elephants are myself and my daughters,” Kaiser said, “because elephants are forever family, and they never forget.”  

She also said she considers the elephant – seen as a symbol of strength, wisdom and loyalty by many cultures – to be her “spirit animal.” 

Up to the tusk 

Before opening a brick-and-mortar location, Kaiser said she and Andy vended their handmade goods – including custom wood projects, epoxy cups, crocheted blankets, jewelry and essential oils – at numerous craft fairs and consignment shops. 

“We were struggling to keep up with going to multiple different locations and getting products there and things like that,” she said. “So we decided, since Sheboygan doesn’t have (a craft consignment shop), we would open one ourselves.” 

Having met many vendors amid her and Andy’s creative exploits, Kaiser said between connections and recommendations they’ve had no trouble filling the shelves and racks at 3Elephants. 

“Sometimes I get a little plug on somebody who’s got some really nice items – maybe from a different vendor, or just an outside friend – but for the most part, we get approached ourselves,” she said. 

Trunks, but no junk 

Personally curating 3Elephants’ inventory,  Kaiser said, allows them to ensure the quality and variety of the products. 

“We like to make sure that all of our vendors have a very good profile – they have very nice products, they’re well put together, etc.,” she said. “We like to make sure there are no more than two of the same type of products so that there’s not too much competition, and I don’t have all of the same items in the store.” 

Kaiser said facilitating this range of handmade items shows vendors the only limit is their own creativity. 

“These people put all of their effort in,” she said. “We want to encourage small businesses to grow as we want to grow, so we encourage the smaller businesses. I’ve been approached by different vendors of (mass-produced products), and that’s just not something that we’re interested in doing, like Tupperware type of things.” 

Such considerations are constant, Kaiser said, as stock, sales and the seasons influence the shop’s fluid inventory.

“We have a lot of communication between our vendors – making sure they’re bringing in seasonal items and keeping up to date with any (product) that may be selling quicker than others – so we ask either to exchange (items) or bring in more,” she said. “Like (I’ll say to) my lady who makes cheese boards, ‘Everybody loves cheese boards – let’s bring some more in.’” 

Kaiser said it’s heartening to see customers appreciating locally produced, handmade and/or customized creations in a world overly focused on low cost, uniformity and convenience. 

“People are really coming back to the hometown feel, where I think as a country, we’ve gotten away from allowing… those small businesses to really get a good rap,” she said. “I hear all the time, ‘We love your store, and we love the fact that it’s always changing.’ You know, if you go to Walmart, you see the same socks, you see the same this, you see the same that. Our schtick is basically ‘we’re not Walmart.’ We want to be better than Walmart, because we have handmade, quality items that people can purchase, and they’re actually benefiting their own community, and not some high(-up), corporate person… and this CEO doesn’t make (anything).” 

Migration 

There’s one type of handmade creation Kaiser said 3Elephants has regrettably always had to turn away: large products. 

“Some people make some fantastic tables and things like that, and we want to help them out as well, but we don’t have the space for it,” she said. 

Still, Kaiser said running out of space has been the best challenge the store has faced. 

The co-owners said they hope to secure a new location in early 2025, a move Kaiser said 3Elephants’ vendors have endorsed and customers have encouraged. 

“We’ve had some vendors on board since day one, and they’re so stoked about moving to a larger place. That means they’ll get more space, which means they can bring in more products,” Kaiser said. “We continue to hear, ‘That’s so exciting… we’re listening to find out where you guys are headed.’ It’s so much positivity – it just makes you feel good inside to know that your community is behind you.” 

Though avenues like Etsy and craft fairs can enable sales, Kaiser said for her, nothing beats the sense of community only a brick-and-mortar can provide. 

“I love talking to the people (who come in). I love the stories. And we have some items (with off-color, humorous phrases) – we call them snarky items – and I even love the fact that the older ladies, when they come in and they’re just laughing, and they don’t want to say it out loud, but they read it and they laugh,” she said. “It’s just that wonderful feeling of knowing these people are having a good time. They enjoy our store.”

Another goal of moving, Kaiser said, is to gain even more foot traffic and parking. 

She said as word of mouth continues to spread, she hopes to utilize the forthcoming space to host events as well. 

Additionally, as she and Andy both work full-time jobs in addition to running 3Elephants, Kaiser said her personal goal is to be able to focus entirely on the shop in the near future. 

With greener proverbial savannas ahead of 3Elephants, she said the experience has already been incredibly rewarding. 

“I love my shop. I love its feel,” she said. “I am excited that we are able to grow and incorporate more of a larger space and more people, because there are so many talented, talented individuals out there.”