Cortland County Legislator Beau Harbin (D) 2nd Dist. visits with Carol Hill owner of Just Chill Custom Gifting a new retail store at 4 Main Street in Cortland.
Cortland — Just Chill Custom Gifting by Carol LLC is a new business at 4 Main St., Cortland creating a small but unique gift shop and shopping experience for patrons.
A registered nurse, owner Carol Hill decided during the pandemic that she wanted to create custom gift baskets for friends and family with whom she was unable to connect due to the social distancing restraints. She soon moved from making baskets in her home to a larger space at the Homer Center for the Arts, and, ultimately settled in at her downtown location last spring.
Hill says her mission is simple, “To bring happiness and joy to those we love and care about through gift giving and positive messaging.”
Hill admits it has been a struggle to transition from having a business with little to no overhead into a storefront location and continues to work part-time in healthcare in part to off-set expenses.
A self-determined individual who doesn’t like asking for help, Hill nonetheless applied to the BDC’s Downtown Assistance program and was awarded $5000 to help offset the increased expense of rent at the new location. The BDC set up the program with an allocation from county federal covid relief funding.
“I don’t qualify for many grants because of my income, but I was eligible for this grant and (it was a) huge cushion because there was flexibility with the money,” she said.
Hill said the move downtown has been a bit of a challenge but was pleased to see a substantial increase in business this fall. She has recently expanded her offerings at the shop to include specialty teas and now has a tearoom available by appointment.
“The whole process with this particular grant and working with the BDC was super easy,” Hill said. “It was very clear on what I needed to provide to access the funds.’
