Cheryl Courson
Cheryl Courson is a true leader in human resources.
Born and raised in Michigan, the University of Michigan graduate used her de-grees in economics and communication studies to work in executive leadership and human resources for Target Corp.
After moving to Naples in 2004 so her husband could be opening chef at Real Seafood Company, Cheryl realized the nontraditional hours that both their ca-reers required were not conducive to raising a family.
Cheryl created Twinkle Twinkle Little Store to be not only a children’s resale and gear rental service store, but a place where new moms could shop, connect with other new moms, and even work. Thus, Cheryl’s experience provided a place that all new moms need: a human resource for community.
What is special about your business? The people you meet and develop relationships with in the business, both customers and employees, are deep and very gratifying. In larger communities and with our current love affair with so-cial media, it is difficult for new moth-ers and parents to meet, make friends, and connect with each other. But within Twinkle Twinkle Little Store, we help each other, and the village mentality is strong and supportive. The idea of Twin-kle Twinkle Little Store was born with the intention of being able to bring kids with you and free parents of the burden of [paying for] child care. Having chil-dren at the store has been the most won-derful opportunity for all parents that work at Twinkle Twinkle Little Store. It is not without challenges, but it is certainly most rewarding to work and still be with our kids as they grow.
Tell us about your family. Brent is my wonderful husband of 13 years and is now corporate chef of Mainstreet Ventures which is the parent company of Real Seafood Company in Naples and Blue Pointe Grill in Fort Myers, as well as 20 other restaurants located in other states. We have a daughter and two boys, ages 12, 10, and 5.
What is a typical weekday like in your household? A whole new world of productivity has opened up now that all my children are in school. After the kids come home from school, they have a regu-lar routine of practicing music (guitar and piano), doing daily chores, and complet-ing homework. I strongly believe in teach-ing the kids how to do things on their own, and not doing things for them, so that they can learn to be responsible individuals and have pride in their work.
What do you like to do for fun with your family? My kids are fish and we love to swim at the beach, River Park Aquatic Center, and Sun-n-Fun. We enjoy travel-ing everywhere. We are fortunate to have extended family in Malaysia. Our local favorites are the Conservancy of SWFL which provides reciprocal benefits to dozens of centers at Association of Nature Center Administrators and the IMAG in Fort Myers, which is a part of the Asso-ciation of Science-Technology Centers Travel Passport Program.When we travel to new cities, we love to take advantage of our reciprocal mem-bership benefits and highly recommend them to all families.
Tell us about your community service passion. Close to our heart is our very own Twinkle Outreach Program, which is a store-operated community service program. The Twinkle Outreach program distributes free gear and clothing to those in need within the store as well as off site, especially during post-hurricane recovery efforts. Additional goods are shared with other local charities, including (but not limited to) St. Matthew’s House, Guadalupe Center, Family to Family, and Eva’s Closet. Twinkle Outreach also raises money to put toward other community services, such as funding for WGCU/PBS Kids and daily free car seat installation assistance to anyone and everyone who may need it.
What would surprise us about you? I never expected to own a retail store. I am passionate about music, art, and travel and didn’t expect to be in this field when I was younger. Thanks to my children cur-rently learning piano and guitar, my own passion for music has been reinvigorated. I enjoy playing piano, guitar, ukulele, and singing. I am still waiting for more time to present itself so I have the opportunity to resume painting.
What is your favorite parenting advice? Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Even young toddlers can be taught to do so many things. Our kids, including the five-year-old, cook, clean, and certainly pull their weight. Their responsibilities also nurture pride in their work. I also highly recommend the book “Smart Money, Smart Kids” as it instills a great financial foundation for kids to last them a lifetime.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Store is located at 4172 Tamiami Trail North in Naples.