Hand and Stone was recently featured in an article in The Courier Post! The article discusses how husband and wife Kelly & Joe Harris will expand on their backgrounds and on their new Hand & Stone opening at 694 N. Delsea Drive, Suite 35, Glassboro, NJ. Kelly and Joe explain why they wanted to go into business together and why they specifically wanted to bring the Hand & Stone brand to the Glassboro area. Kelly and Joe also explain their future development plans for the area.
To be or not to be? In business, that is. It’s a nagging question that haunts entrepreneurs and the following statistic doesn’t help: According to experts, more than half of self-owned start-ups close within five years. Washington Township’s Joe Harris says he always knew he wanted to be his own boss and he has proved to be an exception to the failure rate rule. Harris started his own disc jockey entertainment company when he was 15. In 2000, he founded Harris Enhancements, a home-remodeling firm. And two weeks ago, the 43-year-old and his wife, Kelly, opened a Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa franchise on Delsea Drive in Glassboro. The store is minutes away from Rowan University, Joe’s alma mater. “My father taught me from an early age it was better to be your own boss,” Harris recalls. “He would ask, ‘Why make money for a company when you could work for yourself?’ “He said the best way to be successful was to own your own business.” Harris says his DJ and remodelingbusinesses are doing well, and the fledgling Hand & Stone spa franchise has opened with higher-than-expected membership and revenues. Is Harris just lucky? “Maybe,” he responds. “But I really believe you make your own luck. I know it may be a cliche, but with me, it’s all about my customers. From the time I started my DJ business, I’ve always made sure the customer was happy.
“I’ve been very blessed and fortunate, and I have an incredible family to whom I owe a lot.” Family includes his 29-year-old wife, who until November worked in the medical field. Partnering with her husband is Kelly’s first venture into the business world, although she’s familiar with the entrepreneurial spirit. “My mother has had her own wedding invitation business since I was a little kid,” says Kelly, who started her career as a medical laboratory scientist at Kennedy Health Center in Cherry Hill. Most recently she managed the laboratory at Kennedy University Hospital in Stratford. “I went to school for medical technology and had a very good job at Kennedy. So leaving that job and starting this with Joe is a very big step for me.
