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Couple to share Christmas success story on Dragon's Den by Bob Mitchell Special to the Beaver 5 | Friday, December 4, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com When Tyler and Jordie Schwartz interview prospective employees they ask a simple question: "What's your favourite Christmas movie and why?" Kind of strange, but not for the Oakville couple, who run Retro Festive -- a unique store that specializes in Christmas-themed collectible items, including ugly Christmas sweaters and Christmas movie paraphernalia. The store is only open from Nov. 1 (the day after Halloween) to 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Its website, www.RetroFestive.ca, operates yearround. "My three-year-old son, Brent, thinks I work at Santa's workshop," said Jordie, who is expecting their next child in January 2016. "We spend all year gearing up for Christmas and, to be honest, that keeps us pretty busy." About five years ago, they appeared on television's Dragon's Den seeking funds to open kiosks in shopping malls. "It was a very nerve-wracking experience," Jordie said. They didn't entice any Dragons to invest, but their appearance on the popular nationallytelevised show resulted in an upsurge in orders. Next Wednesday, Dec. 9, the show will air a segment on their success. The idea for this store began about nine years ago when Tyler wanted to get the famous leg lamp from A Christmas Story, which was partially filmed in their hometown of Port Colbourne. "Tyler couldn't find one anywhere in Canada, so we reached out to the company that was making and selling them in the States," Jordie said. "The company, located in Cleveland, wasn't selling them in Canada, so we started selling them out of our house as a part-time thing." After their Dragon's Den pitch, both Kevin O'Leary and Arlene Dickinson bought leg lamps from them, despite not investing. "A lot of the school children in the movie were local kids, so that's kind of what set us out on the mission to find one," Jordie said. "We thought if Tyler wanted one, then others probably did as well. We started a website and each year it just grew and grew and we started carrying other products from different Christmas movies." And, as they say, the rest is history. Jordie Schwartz | submitted photo The store's phone number is 855-Leg-Lamp (534-5267). Today, the couple has about 1,500 different items for sale, ranging from stocking stuffers to a brand-new $260 product -- an Advent house from Christmas Vacation. "We even sell coal for your stockings," Jordie said, currently on maternity leave from T.L. Kennedy Secondary School in Mississauga, where she teaches music and French. After initially renting a small unit in an industrial mall, the store now has expanded into a larger space at 1100 Invicta Dr. One of the biggest product lines is from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. "Everybody wants a Moose mug," Jordie said. "Everybody wants to be Clark Griswold and crazy cousin Eddy, drinking out of a Moose mug." Tyler was still working in the corporate world in marketing and publicity when they ran the business out of their home, but after a couple of years, the business took off. Tyler quit his job to work full-time in their business and they needed more space, so they moved into a storefront unit. The ugly Christmas sweater craze has really boomed over the last five years, Jordie said. "We carry about 70 different kinds and just this year, we started carrying the vintage, oneof-a-kind, pre-worn ugly sweaters," Jordie said. "These are the ones your grandparents might have worn 30 years ago. We have about a thousand of them, ranging from $25-$50. "We kind of got in on the ground floor. They bring out the kid in people. People host ugly Christmas sweater parties. It's a great way to get into the holiday spirit." The store also sells ugly Christmas sweaters for children, infants -- even pets. The ugly Blue Jays sweaters and ugly Maple Leafs sweaters are also big sellers, although the Blue Jays ones aren't the Bautista and Donaldson sweaters that have recently made the rounds on the Internet. "We ordered the Blue Jays sweaters months and months ago and at that time, nobody expected them to make it into the playoffs and we sold out our initial order within a day," she said. "And despite the Maple Leafs' horrible track record, they still have a lot of fans, who want their sweater." The couple scours the Internet for new products and attends various industry-buying shows in the U.S. throughout the year. "We basically spend the entire year looking," Jordie said. The store ships only in Canada. "We still have a relationship with the company in the States we started working with initially and they've started carrying some of our items, so people in the U.S. can buy some of our products with them," she said. Jordie has no idea how many customers they have, but said she feels every day somebody new comes through the door. Jordie admits their store was a bit of an afterthought. "Our main business was shipping products, but so many people kept asking to see the product in person so we opened the smaller store," she said. Each year, they also participate in the Toronto Distillery District Christmas market and this season, they also participated in the Union Station holiday market. "My husband and I are probably the biggest Christmas fans that we know and that's one of the things we had in common. As soon as we see an item that we would want, we figure other people probably would want it too," she said. Every September, the couple starts putting together a list of new items that people want and begins sourcing them, Jordie said. For this year's grand opening, they celebrated Charlie Brown's 50th Christmas and the new Peanuts movie. "The Charlie Brown Christmas tree has always been a big seller. Our customers really relate to that poor little tree that just needs a little love." They also sell a wide range of Christmas villages including The Griswold's home, the Simpsons' residence and Home Alone and Peanuts homes and stores. Several Star Wars Christmas items are also being sold, including a Darth Vader light-up stocking. Voted Best Financial Planner & Best Investment Company A STEP BEYOND IN CARE Salima Kassam Reg. Chiropodist DIAMOND · Foot/Arch Pain? · Ingrown Toenails? · Diabetes? · Swollen Ankles? · Corns, Calluses? Do you have: Jennifer Watson and Peter Watson Call for an appointment 905-632-1414 728 Burloak Drive www.footandhealthclinic.com 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 peterwatsoninvestments.com