Irish Eyes are smiling with two generations of business-savvy women

October 29, 2013 4:00 am • Last Updated: October 29, 2013 12:59 pm

By By KIMBERLY IEMMA

Donna Lord Gorman and her mother, Leda Lord, are the owners of Irish Eyes in Olde Mistick Village.

Irish Eyes owner Donna Lord Gorman was living in California when her mother Leda Lord first opened the store. “Mom jumped right in,” said Gorman. “She had never owned a business, and other than part-time work at the Seaport Store in Mystic, had mostly been a stay-at-home mom. She knew she liked retail, so when the opportunity to purchase the Curiosity Shop in Olde Mistick Village came up in 1979 she went for it.”

As more customers started asking for the Irish products that were a small part of the Curiosity Shop’s inventory, Leda Lord began going to trade shows to find more of the authentic goods. And when the store eventually became filled with Irish items she changed the name to Irish Eyes.

“I decided to return to Connecticut and work in the store, and my mother was thrilled,” Gorman said. “I had only a small inkling of business in my background — I had worked for Joyce Olson Resnikoff and Jerry Olson, owners of Olde Mistick Village, when the Village was still under construction and the brand new tenants opened their shops. I suppose that was my first real exposure to the retail world and running a business. Then off I went to California, to return 15 years later and witness my mom operating her own shop in the village.”

Since Gorman had a young son, she came into Irish Eyes to help when she could, and slowly started doing trade shows. “My mom was getting ready to retire and I decided to start the process of taking it over,” said Gorman. “And while my mother did well running the store, it always remained a sort of hobby for her — she was never completely reliant on the income from Irish Eyes the way I would be. For me it was to be my bread and butter.”

The family always joked that Leda Lord had been “successful in spite of herself.” At the time she purchased the Curiosity Shop, the village was busy in June, July, and August but did not see bus tours and tourists coming through year-round like it does now. “When Mom was in charge, and when I first started, it got very slow in January and February,” said Gorman. “Of course March was good for us with Saint Patrick’s Day. But Mom made it work and stayed in business” despite the economic challenges. Now retired for 12 years, Leda Lord at age 87 still comes in on Sunday afternoons. “Mom’s very active and loves being there,” said Gorman.

In 2010, Gorman’s only son went back to California and started a family, and Gorman was once again on the West coast four or five times a year. “I wanted to be involved with my grandchildren, for them to know who their grandmother is,” said Gorman. With the expense of frequent travel to California in mind, Gorman decided to open a second Irish Eyes store in the San Clemente area.

“It’s a different culture in California, let me just say that,” Gorman said. “The challenges of running a store so far away became apparent – I had to have a manager and employees I could count on when I wasn’t on-site.” Her son and his family have since returned to live in Connecticut, and the second Irish Eyes store will be closing in March when the lease expires. “I’m happy to be winding down responsibility there, and it was fun while it lasted, but I’m thrilled my grandchildren are back here now,” said Gorman.

Fortunate to find a longtime “very good, dedicated manager” for Irish Eyes in Mystic, Gorman is now allowed the occasional pause to consider the benefits of owning her shop. “I’m always learning about Irish culture and symbols. …the Irish people I’ve met are so full of life… they always have good stories to tell,” said Gorman. “I think one of the most important things I have learned while attending the ‘school of life’ on both coasts is to pay attention to the details, which I have come to realize, is both a blessing and a curse.”