Silver Fox Gift Shop
Kathryn and Kristen Busse
Kristen (L) and Kathryn (R) Busse
The Silver Fox Gift Shop is located on Main Street in Cooperstown. What is unique about downtown Cooperstown?
Kathryn: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is here. We’re a very small village of only 1,800 and we accommodate thousands of visitors in the summertime. I can’t think of any other village of 1,800 people that can accommodate that many people.
It’s a very Norman Rockwell town. There’s not a lot of change, it reminds a lot of people of their childhood.
Where did the name “Silver Fox” come from?
Kathryn: The “Silver Fox” was my dad – that was his nickname. He had a head full of silver hair. My mom’s name was Gloria, and her nickname was Glo Worm. So when we opened the store, we were either going to name the store Silver Fox or Glo Worm, and we went with Silver Fox.
What’s the best (and hardest) part about owning a small retail business?
Kathryn: The best part is that we work for ourselves. We don’t have to answer to anyone. We call our own shots and we make our own decisions.
The hardest part is trying to stay unique. We’re in a town with a lot of competition, and we want to offer unique, exclusive items.
You’re a mother and daughter team. What do you enjoy most about your working relationship?
Kristen: We know each other so well, so we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re always there for each other and we always have each other’s backs. And we have a lot of fun. We also love talking to our mother and daughter customers. And we love when people say we look like sisters.
What’s your favorite part of interacting with visitors?
Kristen: We’re always learning new information about different parts of the country. We have a lot in common, even though we might not be from the same place or have the same upbringing. Baseball and family unite everybody here.
Kathryn: I had someone in today who lives down the road from my sister in Florida. If I hadn’t chatted with them and asked where they’re from, I never would’ve known they lived near my sister, and we wouldn’t have had a nice conversation.
We meet people from all over the world: Australia, Japan, Germany. Today we had someone from London come in. We love meeting people who come here because they love baseball.
Do you love baseball?
Kathryn: Oh, absolutely!
Kristen: It’s interesting because some people come here because they like the heroes of the game, the Hall of Famers. And other people come because they’re parents and they want to watch their kids play baseball here. So, meeting the people who respect the game is cool, but it’s also nice seeing families bond over it.
What is your favorite item in the store right now?
Kathryn: Locally handcrafted ornaments.
Kristen: We always hear how people get an ornament wherever they visit. People collect ornaments from all over the place. Our ornaments are great because they’re handcrafted by local, women artists.
Kathryn: We have people who come back year after year to buy them. Someone bought a baseball bat ornament ten years ago and they came back to buy another one. Baseball fans also appreciate the memorabilia we have. We have a baseball bat autographed by Derek Jeter, and we have things from Nolan Ryan and Anthony Volpe.
Kristen: And we have $2 baseball cards that remind people of their childhood. We have things for everyone’s budget.
Where do you find inspiration for new items to bring into the store?
Kristen: We get feedback from customers on what they’re looking for. And we see what’s trending and what people are in to. When there are new things that seem exciting, we take a chance on them and hope people like it.
Kathryn: It’s not about what we like, it’s about what the customers like.
What’s the most unusual or memorable experience you’ve had since opening the store?
Kristen: Meeting celebrities and Hall of Famers is always fun.
Kathryn: Yes, most recently we had Robert Downey Jr. in the store.
A really special thing happened back in 2016. Ken Griffey Jr. was getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is my son’s absolute favorite player. My son was living in Chicago at the time and missed his flight, so he wasn’t able to be here for Griffey’s induction.
The Sunday of Induction Weekend a gentleman came into the store and picked out an ornament. He asked me to write Ken Griffey Jr. on the ornament but I said I couldn’t because I’m not allowed to write people’s names on ornaments. He said, “Ken Griffey Jr. is my best friend and I really want to give him this as a gift.” And I said, “Prove it!” And he took out his phone and showed me a picture of him kissing Ken Griffey Jr. on the cheek the night before at his induction party.
I told him the story of how Griffey was my son’s favorite player and how his missed his flight and therefore the induction ceremony. He asked what my son’s name was. The next morning he came back to the store with a baseball autographed by Ken Griffey Jr. for my son. That was so special. He didn’t have to do that.
If your shop had a motto, what would it be?
Kristen: Something for everyone. People will say “Oh, you have something for everybody.” We have things for adults, girls and boys, even baby clothes.
Kathryn: I had someone come in and buy three gifts for three people and she said her list was checked off all in our store and she didn’t have to go anywhere else.
June, 2025
