Corporate America leaves an indelible mark on a person. Those who come from corporate backgrounds use goofy acronyms and words like “debrief” instead of “talk.” On the other hand, learning to clearly defining a business’s objectives (or mission) is a good thing. Does a small business need a mission statement? Maybe not but establishing a mission statement is part of our founder Penelope’s corporate America DNA, so F. Oliver’s has one and here it is:

F. Oliver’s will inspire creative growth for its employees, customers, and community and will attract a loyal following by offering

  • A professional, yet warm and welcoming environment
  • A distinct, fun, and informative store experience
  • The highest quality products available

During the first days getting the store open and running Penelope thought about the mission statement a couple of times and laughed; it seemed like a silly, irrelevant luxury amidst the numerous nuts and bolts tasks requiring attention. Then some remarkable things happened.

First, customers started returning to tell her what they’d made with their F. Oliver’s products. One had created a pasta dish with the Mediterranean Cassis Balsamic and the Sage and Wild Harvest Mushroom EVOO. Another made a “salsa” from tropical fruit, cucumbers, cilantro, and Creamy Coconut Balsamic with Fresh Pressed Persian Lime EVOO, then served it on grilled fish. A third person made a thin-sliced sirloin “pizza” with Smoky Chipotle EVOO and Dark Chocolate Balsamic. Not only did each dish sound DELICIOUS, but truly creative. Clearly, each home chef had fun with the products as well.

The other thing that happened concerned the front windows. Penelope had contacted a visually creative person to help figure out what to do with the Canandaigua’s front windows. By coincidence, this artist was studying painting in Canandaigua for a few weeks and agreed to stop by. She quickly realized that the windows needed attention ASAP and took what was on hand – some fustis and tissue paper – and assembled a beautiful, colorful, fun, and interesting displays. It stopped pedestrians in their tracks and they started to notice us here on Main Street.

So, is F. Oliver’s fulfilling its mission to inspire creative growth? We think so. Our customers, if not growing creatively, are thoroughly enjoying F. Oliver’s products and being very creative with them. For our creative artists (window display, copywriters, photographers, graphic artists), it feels like a stretch to say that F. Oliver’s inspires creative growth, but the store is at least a venue for inspired creativity. And – all of us have contributed to the “warm and welcoming environment” and the “distinct, fun, and informative store experience.” We look forward to welcoming you