By Libby Hopkins
Shearon Bailey’s secret to being a successful business in the Brandon community for 30 years is being an “odd duck.” Bailey is the owner of Teacher’s Helper, which is a one-stop shop for teaching supplies and learning tools for parents and teachers. Her store is the only teaching supply store in the entire Brandon community. The next closest one is in downtown Tampa, but even those downtown folks make their way to Brandon to buy their teaching supplies from Bailey and her staff.
Bailey, a former first-grade teacher, moved to Brandon 11 years ago. She had been a teacher for many years and decided she needed a change. “I sold books to school libraries for about a year, but that all changed when I went to Teacher’s Helper to buy my grand-daughter some stickers,” Bailey said. While shopping for stickers, she noticed a “Help Wanted” sign in the store window and inquired about the position. Instead of getting the job, she became the new owner of the store. She has been managing the store since 2005. The store moved from Margaret Street to its new location at 622 Oakfield Dr. this past November. Bailey and her staff will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on November 25, 26 and 27.
The 3-day celebration will include 15 percent off everything in the store, refreshments, giveaways and door prizes each day to be given out every half hour from 4- 5:30 p.m. “We are a great place to buy Christmas presents with the holidays being right around the corner,” Bailey said. The store will celebrate its 30th anniversary in February.
Bailey is thrilled to be serving the Brandon community for 30 years and she believes the level of customer service her employees offer is the reason she has been in business for so long. “We are known in this community for our customer service,” Bailey said. “People will come from miles around to shop in our store because my staff is top notch.” In addition to great customer service and wonderful products, Teacher’s Helper has a classroom that is available for the community to rent for various events.
To learn more about the different products available at Teacher’s Helper, visit its Website at www.teachershelperonline.com or contact Bailey at 684-0688. The store’s hours of operation are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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