Bird in Hand: Your Community Business
(originally published in 2012)
Bird in Hand operates with the community in mind.
The gift store, located on Broadway Street between West 3rd and 4th streets, houses a menagerie of children’s toys, board games, clothing, gift items, books, kites, and yo-yos.
What sets it apart is its commitment to being the “everyman store” with something for everybody, said owner Bob Malowney, who shares ownership of the store with his wife, Barbara.
The store is a familiar, comfortable place to shop, Malowney said. It’s well lighted, clean, and fun. Anyone who goes there says that it’s a place like nothing else.
“Somebody said you just have to be one percent better 100 times,” Malowney said.
Bird in Hand does just that.
The Malowneys like to say that the fact that Bird in Hand existed in the first place is a combination of hard work and good luck. They started Bird in hand in 1981 as a retail store to sell printed t-shirts, posters, and kites, and gradually acquired more and more inventory that appealed to them.
When it first started, there weren’t even aisles, said Thad Winzenz, a manager at Bird in Hand. The store was one big gallery to display the screen printed t-shirts and posters.
Then came the kites. And the toys. And the yo-yos.
The business has evolved over the years to become a place where anyone can come in, experience the fun, and leave with a smile, Malowney said.
“What I like best about it is everyday people remember that we’re here, and can find something that can satisfy them,” Malowney said.
People like to give gifts, he said. The act of gift giving makes people feel wanted and appreciated. The Malowneys started their business because they wanted to provide a superior kind of gift store to the Chico public, and obviously it worked.
Malowney takes pride in being able to offer what he calls ‘friendly, personable and local’ service.
Being a small business in downtown Chico can be defined in two words, Malowney said: regeneration and degeneration.
What’s good is that Bird in Hand can regenerate the excitement of going downtown, he said. There’s a more homely feel of talking to the owner right across the counter, and one can get a more personal experience.
The problem comes from the degeneration of the retail experience, he said.
Lately, Bird in Hand has been experiencing some trouble. The business model appears to be shifting to a more online focused retail economy, Malowney said. Instead of going downtown and having a walk, more and more people are deciding to just shop by click.
“Too many people now go, ‘I think I’m going to look at 100 faucets before I pick one,” Malowney said.
This trend threatens mom and pop retail stores even more, because many cannot compete with the big chains, he said.
If people aren’t raised going to small stores, or have an epiphany, they might not ever get it, Malowney said.
Bird in Hand practices self promotion, not advertising, he said. They associate themselves with events that are newsworthy and always free to the public.
It all started with the Chico Kite Day, and event organized and started by the Malowneys. Each year they give music, the event, and a souvenir away to the public as a gift of their own, Malowney said. It’s a cost equal to advertising, but also includes the goodness of community involvement.
Malowney hopes that someday his daughter Christine Winzenz and her husband Thad, who both work in the store, will someday take over ownership of the business he has loved for over 30 years.
