Nell Hill’s: Preserving a Legacy

Nell Hill’s was established by Mary Carol Garrity in 1981 in an old bank building in her hometown of Atchison, Kansas, naming the store after her maternal grandmother who was an early Kansas pioneer. Since its humble beginnings as a gourmet food shop, Nell Hill’s has grown to become one of the most popular home interior stores in the Midwest.

In 2019, Nell Hill’s changed hands to a new steward, Kansas City native Katie Laughridge. Now located in Briarcliff Village in North Kansas City, Nell Hill’s welcome guests from all over the country to find beautiful home décor, bespoke furniture and design inspiration. One of today’s most sought-after lifestyle resources, Katie is the author of the weekly decorating blog Style at Home and a column syndicated weekly throughout the U.S. Her favorite place to be is at Nell Hill’s, working with customers to help them create homes that are lovely and livable, and that celebrate their own style.

Challenge

This iconic retail store was founded by a very dynamic lady that was/is revered within the industry. We sought to partner with an investment group with the goal of preserving what was so great about the business, but injecting new life.

Approach

We wanted to learn the business first, and provide continuity. After several months, we started evaluating processes, practices, and people. What we uncovered is that there were a lot of people that were unhappy for one reason or another. We developed a plan that was centered around a shared culture.

Outcome

This was the first exit for Four Pillars and it was a successful exit by all measures.

Southwest Steel

Goal: A Fresh Perspective

Challenge: A mindset here was the common refrain, “that’s the way it’s always been done.” With a workforce that had been with the company for many years, in some cases decades, business processes and practices were not evaluated for improvement. The SOP was that if it has worked for all these years, no need to change it. While that was true in some cases, it was not true in all cases.

Eagle Precision

Goal: Trust Exemplified

Challenge: As a new owner, it is difficult to show the former ownership group, as well as the existing management team, that the new leader is the right one to guide and grow the business.

Dart Casting

Goal: Achieving a Vision

Challenge: The second-generation owners of the business wanted to diversify risk while partnering with a group that could help the company achieve growth and thus its full potential.