Cindy’s retail and gift shop management experience spans over 35 years. She has earned a professional reputation for excellence through hard work, dedication, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Over the years she has trained thousands of gift shop managers in North America with clients ranging from small shops to larger shops in major medical centers. She also managed one of the most successful hospital gift shops in the country with annual sales of $1.3 million.

In 1995, she launched a successful consulting business, Cindy Jones Associates, specializing in gift shop management and design. She’s completed over 100 hospital gift shop designs and consultations. Her consults included a complete assessment of the shop’s performance and operations, followed by a comprehensive implementation plan detailing financials, technology, floor design, inventory, buying, security, staffing, and operations.

Over two decades ago she launched Cindy’s Newsletter, with over 600 issues to date. Her newsletter is a well-known, trusted source in the industry. It’s packed with ready-to-implement content, best practices, and current trends in the gift shop management and retail industry with a readership of over 3,000 gift shop professionals.

In 1997 Cindy was awarded the Certificate of Achievement in Retail Marketing from the National Retail Association. She is the Founder and Former President of the Michigan Hospital Gift Shop Managers Association. Cindy has published numerous retail books, audio guides, and operating tools, written numerous articles, and presented for over three decades to the nations gift markets, symposiums, and retail associations.

Cindy holds a B.A. from Ohio University, an Education degree from the University of Michigan, as well as post-graduate work at the University of Michigan’s School of Architecture & Design.