Today we visited the Irish Design Center, which is owned and operated by Tom Petrone and Maura Krushinski. Tom gave us a wonderful tour of the store, including his produce, jewelry, and clothing sections. He also spoke to us about the many events hosted by the store, and his own experience in Ireland, not only visiting, but doing business with producers. Their approach to the shop is to bring in all kinds of consumers. They are able to help people who know very little about Irish culture, and still help those who grew up in it! Every aspect of the story had a story, from the building itself, to the workers, and to the products being sold. Everything within the store was made with purpose, for a purpose. But, oftentimes stores like this struggle because of this special fact. The Irish Design Center prides itself on having authentic Irish goods, but the price of doing a specialty business is high. Joe and Maura do not want to treat their customers to any standard other than the best, and the best is almost always the most expensive. Many stores like this are faced with a similar challenge, and must decide what they can afford to give and take.