 Vicki is a born and raised
Lincolnite. Her maiden name is Wyland, and she is married to Dave
Purcell. The couple raised three children: Tami, 32 years old,
Jennifer, 30, and Ryan, who is 26.Vicki said that one day Dave
was watching ESPN and thought about how an awards and trophy shop
could probably work, as there wasn't one locally. Working at first
in the couple's basement, it became obvious after a few months that
they needed a storefront. The Award Shop opened in the 200 block of
South Kickapoo in downtown Lincoln.
Twenty-one years ago the operation moved to the corner of
Broadway and Chicago streets, and it has been a fixture in downtown
Lincoln ever since.
Dave works at Mitsubishi in Bloomington, so running the business
was up to Vicki.
She said that when their youngsters were small, it was
challenging, and the store was also baby-sitting headquarters for
their kids when they didn't, or couldn't go to school.
Vicki said that when the children got older, they helped out in
the store during busy times. Now, with the children grown and gone,
Vicki only has to worry about the business, and it is a very good
business, especially during the time frame of April through
September.
The business is more than just a trophy store, but they do a good
business selling trophies in all shapes and sizes. Vicki laughed
when she said the biggest trophies she has built were 5-feet tall.
"It's a man thing," she pointed out.
Trophies can be custom-built with various bases, pedestals, and
figures or icons on top, but a lot of her business now is in other
lines of awards.
Plaques are very popular, and she had a just-finished shipment of
them ready to go out to Eaton Corp. for employee awards.
She also does signage, and she says that portion of her business
continues to grow, especially large, cast-iron signs that can be
outside in harsh climates for years without showing any wear.
Medals are still popular, and a crystal-like award that can be
engraved is also very popular at her business.
Vicki does her own engraving at the store and said that various
fonts and sizes can be etched using different size cutters to give a
custom look.
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Vicki said that May is especially busy, with the schools needing
awards for academics. July also is hectic with the upcoming Logan
County Fair requesting numerous plaques for their events.
She said the biggest challenge in her business is that people
sometimes wait until the last minute to order awards, and that leads
to long days to make sure they are ready on time.
Vicki said she really likes the visibility the store has on the
corner, and although she has been running the business for 25 years,
she doesn't have any sense of urgency to retire or sell.
"It's been a good business for us," she said. "I would miss the
people I see every year. I have met a lot of good people. This town
has a lot of good people that I would miss."
In the event you need something special to recognize an employee,
friend or maybe an event in your own life, Vicki can show you how to
have a memento that will be cherished for years, maybe even as many
as the 25 years she has been delivering awards to the people of
Logan County.
[By
MIKE FAK]
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