Cyndi Johnson of The Market in Flatonia
In this monthly series, local realtor Andrea Schutter Riebeling does a Q & A with local business leaders about what inspires them. This month’s spotlight is on Cyndi Johnson, who along with her husband Randy, own The Market in Flatonia.
1.) What is your business?
Our business is a grocery store and we own a nice liquor store next door. Our business name is The Market. We chose that name because I have always said, I need to go to the market!
2.) How did you get started?
Sometimes I wonder at the whole series of events! We were negotiating a deal on a house for our oldest son and family in Flatonia. He is a police officer and had been offered a position in Flatonia and were excited about moving their family to a nice small city. Our realtor asked us to go look at a different property. I wasn’t crazy about looking at a commercial property, but we agreed. The property was Migl Supermarket. We agreed that the property had potential. But I said no. I really didn’t want a big project. We were retired and our son’s house was going to be enough to keep us busy for several months. Obviously, we purchased the property and decided to re-open as a grocery store.
3.) How long have you been in business?
Nines months of remodeling and we opened in April of 2018.
4.) Is it a female-only-run business?
We are a family-run business. While Randy and I have only been married 12 years, we have three kids (adults) we each call ours. Our youngest son graduated from university nearly three years ago and offered to come down and help while he was looking for the right job. He has taken over responsibility for many areas and is our Jack of all trades making fixtures and fixing problems! And trying to keep me on budget. Our oldest suffered a triple stroke in May of this year. He does what I call “mom therapy” by helping out in the liquor store and pitch hitting in the grocery when needed. I’m sure as his health returns to normal we will lose him back to police work.
4.) What kind of cafe and food do you serve?
Our daughter is a trained chef and pastry chef. She has been instrumental in helping in various ways from special events to making sure I order in some exceptional products.
5.) Tell us something unique about your market/ grocery store? We have been called a small Whole Foods or a Central Market. We have mainstream staples but also alternative choices for vegans, vegetarians, keto, gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, and organic foods of all types. Some of our unique items are fresh flowers and a cheese room. Although we shut down the cheese room during the pandemic, we are expanding and will have a much larger cheese room boasting nearly 200 different cheeses, as well as a mushroom and olive bar with charcuterie meats. We have a large wine selection also.
6.) What is your background? My husband was a CPA and specialized in smallcap charity business. I have a strong background in retail. Owned my own store in Boerne for several years and ended my career in finance.
7.) What do you suggest to others who want to venture out and take a leap of action in the future of their career? Before taking the leap of owning your business. Think about where you are in life, why you want to open a business. Look at your finances and credit. You need to allow 30 percent more than you think for start up. I would recommend having three months of employee wages and taxes in the bank. Know that you can not work full or part time at another job while your business takes off. You need to be at your business every day, all day. No one will have as much invested as you in your business. You should plan to not take an income for at least a year while your business is in start-up and growth mode. We have been in business with a very successful business for 3 1/2 years now and instead of taking a salary, we now have health insurance for our employees. No salary for us yet.
8.) Do you believe in college, trade school, or any training?
Education will depend on your business. But I can assure you that you will need to understand finance, budget and what true income means. Hiring an accountant is smart, but if you don’t understand the basics it will be harder to have a financially secure business. I recommend strongly that you take Jon Schallert’s Destination Course. I can’t tell you what a huge difference that it has made for our business and still does every day.
9.) What do you love about Flatonia?
We love Flatonia and the surrounding region. It’s the people that make it so wonderful.
10.) What makes you and your husband laugh or happy?
What makes us happy or laugh? This has been a hard three years working and living together. Finding that balance in our relationship with working and personal. Being together 24/7 can be challenging. Randy loves golf, hunting and travel. I love horses, dogs, travel and family. We are finding our way back to doing the things we love. Love you and a hug go a long way to a smile.