“This is the Shop I was Telling You About”
Sally Stollmack and Her Store, SallyMack
Vibrant, golden sunflowers.
Tulips gently resting in a handbag.
Peonies nestled in a shoe.
The flower tattoos that cover Sally Stollmack’s arms have meaning, and for the local boutique owner: that’s exactly the point. Sally “SallyMack” Stollmack’s journey from restaurant worker, to stereo and audio sales, to furniture sales, to bookstore employee, to the store SallyMack is filled with intentionality and meaning. Reflecting on the store’s impact ten years after its creation results in an appreciation of the communities that support us – and the people like Sally Mack that make them tick.
I. History
“I was a waitress in high school from ninth grade through 12th grade, and then my four years of college,” recalled Stollmack. “And that was probably the best experience I ever had as far as coming out of my shell.”
She paused for a second, and laughed – “I was never in my shell.”
A life in the service industry began when Stollmack was 14, and continued even when Stollmack began attending UNC-Chapel Hill in 1978. A lifelong resident of Chapel Hill, the everpresent work-life balance was cultivated by Stollmack’s parents.
“My father was an incredible salesman because he loved what he did, and he loved helping young people start their own businesses,” said Stollmack. “That’s a huge part of what he did … my father was and still is a huge influence on me.”
Stollmack’s father was in the shoe and leather handbag business. He was, according to Stollmack, “a workaholic”, and his untimely death at the age of 60 years old only a few years after her graduation from UNC.
However, the work he did, day-in and day-out, left a lasting impact on Stollmack, who eventually joined a similar industry. After a 19-year stint in the audio & stereo business – Stollmack moved into furniture sales, working with Ecko Home Furnishings. Trips to the world-renowned tulip shows on buying trips to Amsterdam inspired the flowers in the handbag. Stollmack’s love for her parents inspires the work she does in the local community.
“My mom passed away in 2007, and sunflowers were our thing… she lived out in California for the last 18 years of her life,” recalled Stollmack. “I would always stop on the way home from the airport and bring her sunflowers, and anytime she would come see me, she would bring me sunflowers, as well.”
Stollmack’s first tattoo was of sunflowers, receiving it five years to the day after her mother’s passing. Everything in Stollmack’s life has layers, and nothing is without meaning – from the tattoos on her arms to the products in the store. Should there be a story to tell, Stollmack will be the one to tell it. A lifelong journey surrounded by reminders of people’s worth, and that which they bring into the world, comes together in the shop down at the base of Hillsborough street.
II. Present
Stollmack’s simultaneous appreciation for local, international, and everything in between shines through in the boutique.
Candles of Ruth Bader Ginsburg are steps away from artfully created wire butterflies.
The whimsically colorful prints and art stemming from the Flying Edna art studios stand right next to a revolving table of coasters with slogans like “Captain of the Ship Show” and greeting cards reading “So Blessed That I’m Not As Old As You”.
The bouncing and boundless joy of the Danish Hoptimist toy inspired by the 1960s “happy movement” rests on a shelve across from the register.
On the register stands the self-care brand Bitchstix’s lip balm, which aims to donate to nonprofit organizations supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Everything in the store has a story, and Stollmack doesn’t hesitate to tell it.
III. The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic was destructive for the small business owner. When business is reliant on foot traffic, and there are no feet going to the stores, then there is no business. According to statistics stated in this Deloitte article, during the height of the pandemic, clothing and accessory stores saw an 89% reduction in sales. For all of the negatives that the pandemic brought, personally and professionally (according to Stollmack: “Nobody was coming in the store because everybody was afraid to leave their house or go shopping, which I understand,”) – there was a silver lining.
“I think (the pandemic) taught me a lot about the importance of not just working,” said Stollmack. “But also being with my friends in a very smart and safe environment, and that’s what I did.”
As the pandemic’s aftershocks progressed, Stollmack made a website and hired employees. What was once a one-woman show became a team, and as the times evolved, so did Stollmack. It’s clear the global e-commerce is the next-step-forward, and Stollmack continues to make progress in communicating with her customer base online via her website and Facebook page. It’s clear, though, that the online platform is not Stollmack’s favorite, and that personal interaction is the standard.
“I had to figure out a way to give people a reason to get off their butts and to come into my store and to shop in my store,” Stollmack said. “And part of that reason, or part of that motivation, is to provide amazing customer service, and on top of that, to have products that they can’t find elsewhere.”
III. Future
There are few stores that can claim to have the level of personal service provided by Stollmack while shopping at Sally Mack. The unassuming exterior, nestled in the middle of Midtown Market, belies the pop of product and personality inside. Stollmack is right: the combination of both amazing products and customer service keeps people coming back. Through it all, the journey Stollmack has taken to bring Sally Mack to this point is full of appreciation for what she has and who she has become.
“You know, it’s interesting because I’ve learned that not everybody wants a unique voice,” remarked Stollmack. “There are so many people in life that I’ve met through, my professional stream or my personal that just kind of want to go through life just getting by, going with the flow.”
Stollmack’s unique voice is the product of years spent in the design and sales industries and the result of simply caring about the people she works with. Spending only an hour in the store results in a minimum of one customer or friend stopping by – no matter the time, or day. There’s a reason why the Chapel Hill Magazine, and the local residents, have deemed her the “Mayor of Midtown Market”.
“Friends from, you know, college who, you know, come back to visit in trouble when they walk in the store, they go, oh my God, this store is you,” reflects Stollmack. ” ‘It is a reflection of your personality and of your style, for better or for worse.’ “
“And I know that that’s true. There’s no doubt.”