Job Description
About Barbara’s Needlepoint:
Barbara’s Needlepoint is a full-service needlepoint shop in Sioux Falls offering hand painted needlepoint canvases from dozens of national artists, a comprehensive thread wall, classes (in-person & Zoom), and top-quality in-house finishing. We run on Shopify POS, emphasize warm, knowledgeable service, and create community through a vibrant local store, events, trunk shows, and online content.
Role Summary:
The Retail Manager leads day-to-day retail operations and the front-of-house team while owning retail merchandising, customer experience, inventory receiving, and Shopify product accuracy. This role bridges the sales floor and the digital storefront—ensuring items are received, priced, photographed (as needed), published online correctly, and presented beautifully in store. You’ll schedule and coach staff, uphold standards, coordinate class logistics, and help execute promotions and trunk shows.
Reports to: Owners (Dan & Katie)
Direct reports: Sales Associates & Part-time Retail Staff; dotted-line coordination with Finishing & Online Ops
Key Outcomes (What success looks like):
Sales & Service
- Maintain 5-star customer satisfaction (in-store and online) and timely response to inquiries (
- Strive to meet or exceed bi-weekly retail sales targets.
Operational Excellence
- 100% of inbound inventory received, labeled, and available for sale within the receiving week business hours.
- Shopify product accuracy: titles, vendor, categories/collections, variants, pricing, count, tags (SEO), and photos.
- Accurate cash handling and end-of-day close.
- Ensure all product is available across all sales channels.
Presentation & Events
- Floor sets and wall panels refreshed weekly; seasonal features and trunk shows executed on time.
- Class & trunk show logistics run smoothly (on-time kit builds, rosters, reminders, and post-event follow-ups).
Team & Rhythm
- Reliable staff schedule coverage; new-hire onboarding completed within four weeks.
- Delegate tasks to capable team members.
Core Responsibilities
Customer Experience & Sales
- Lead by example on the sales floor: greet, consult on canvas/thread selection, and upsell finishing & classes.
- Handle escalations with warmth.
- Manage special orders.
- Own store standards: cleanliness, music/lighting, signage, demo samples, and “new this week” features.
Inventory & Merchandising
- Receive POs; verify counts; label/price.
- Merchandise displays and thread wall organization.
- Photograph items (as needed) for Shopify and social; maintain prop and signage kit.
Shopify & Digital Ops
- Create/maintain products in Shopify (titles, vendors, options/variants, pricing, SEO tags, collections).
- Ensure POS readiness (SKUs/barcodes), inventory counts, and basic reporting (sell-through, slow movers).
- Coordinate with owners on promotions, product bundles/kits, and landing pages for classes/trunk shows.
Coordinating with the Finishing Department
- Intake finishing projects, record details, set expectations, and track timelines; manage customer notifications.
Classes, Trunk Shows & Community
- Support class sign-ups (Shopify product pages), rosters, reminder emails, kit assembly, Zoom links, and post-class follow-ups.
- Execute trunk show calendars: receiving, pricing, merchandising, social highlights, and end-of-show reconciliation.
People & Scheduling
- Build weekly schedules to meet traffic and payroll targets; arrange coverage; onboard and coach associates.
- Run opening/closing, cash counts, deposits, and loss-prevention practices.
Light Content Support
- Capture quick product videos/photos on a phone for owners’ social workflow (Meta/TikTok/Stories).
- Keep “new arrivals” board current; flag content opportunities (before/after finishing, customer spotlights).
Schedule & Compensation
- Status: Full-time (35–40 hrs/week)
- Compensation: Hourly + performance bonus tied to sales
- Benefits: Shop discount, paid training
30/60/90-Day Plan
Day 1–10 (Learn & Stabilize)
- Master daily open/close, cash handling, receiving flow, and Shopify product basics.
- Refresh one high-impact display and check in one batch of product within a week of receiving.
Day 11–20 (Own & Improve)
- Take ownership of weekly floor set and “new this week” board.
- Reduce out-of-stocks and improve count accuracy; propose one trunk show or class ops improvement.
Day 21–50 (Optimize & Lead)
- Deliver a mini seasonal merchandising plan with sell-through targets.
- Train associates on a two-part sales flow (canvas consult → threads/accessories upsell) and simple Shopify tasks.