John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County Gift Shop Opens
Cook County Hospital Auxiliary Selects New Gift Shop Operator
Donnica Austin-Cathey (Chief Hospital Executive) and Cynthia Wallace (Store Manager) (front row center and left with scissors) are joined by members of the CCH Auxiliary, Hospital Staff, and Gift Shop team at the ribbon-cutting for the new John H. Stroger Hospital Gift Shop.
Carrollton, TX – Cloverkey, an industry leader in hospital gift shop management, is excited to announce the grand opening of its newest store located at the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital. This expansion not only represents the brand’s commitment to providing quality gifts and essentials for patients, staff, and visitors but also highlights its focus on partnership within the hospital community.
“We are proud to have been selected by the Auxiliary of Cook County Hospital after they left their former operating partner of 30 years,” Kim Schuler, Chief Revenue Officer at Cloverkey said. “We do not take this opportunity for granted and are committed to providing the hospital with the highest standard of service. We are honored to be part of the Stroger community.”
This new location brings Cloverkey’s footprint in the greater Chicago area to six gift shops plus an online hospital-branded logo merchandise store for Northwestern Medicine.
“I am absolutely thrilled to share my experience working with Cloverkey,” Auxiliary Gift Shop Chair, Laura Sorce, shared. “From the very beginning of the process, every person I encountered was nothing short of amazing. Their professionalism, dedication, and genuine kindness made the entire journey enjoyable.”
Ms. Sorce continued, “Moreover, the team working at the gift shop, especially long-time manager, Cynthia Wallace, is incredibly friendly and welcoming. The team’s enthusiasm and passion for providing exceptional service shine through in every interaction, creating a wonderful shopping experience for visitors and staff alike.”
Gwynne Gillette, COO of Cloverkey, noted that both she and CRO Kim Schuler have been friends of the CCH gift shop dating back to 1999 when both women began 20-year careers with Lori’s Gifts, the former gift shop operator. “When Lori’s was purchased by private equity firm Atlantic Street Capital in late 2017, we watched the new owners change the company’s focus from serving the hospital community to generating income for private investors – with the end goal being to sell the company again,” Ms. Gillette said.
She continued, “I left to start Cloverkey with the original founders of Lori’s so we could bring back that commitment to serving the hospital. Being selected by the Stroger Auxiliary reinforces our belief that service to the hospital is the true mission of a hospital gift shop and we embrace that mission every day in every shop we operate.”
The new John H. Stroger Hospital gift shop is open seven days a week, with expanded hours starting at 7:00 am. Customers enjoy shopping for gifts for all occasions, plush animals, personal care items, books, flower arrangements from a local florist, balloons, fashion items, logo merchandise, and snacks and drinks. Online shopping from the gift shop for free delivery to patient rooms is also available.
About Cloverkey: Cloverkey is a turnkey operator of hospital gift shops, offering a program that embraces partnership, supports special hospital requests, and always operates with honesty and integrity. Through its relationship with its sister company, Kelli’s Gifts (both based in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, Texas), Cloverkey has access to thousands of individual retail items from more than 500 distinct vendors and a reputation in the retail industry that allows them to work with any new vendor as needed. For more information visit www.cloverkey.com, send an inquiry to [email protected], or call Gwynne Gillette directly at 972-674-8491.