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Hope for the holidays
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Sunday, November 23, 2008 4:27 PM EST
OWOSSO - There is one word that seems to be on every downtown business owner's lips for the holiday season: Hope.
“That's a big key to running a business; positive thinking,” said Brian Cerveny, owner of Cerveny Jewelers on Main Street. “You have to think positive and you'll end up with a positive. If you decide not to stock something to try and save...if you don't have it then you can't sell it.”
Cerveny, who has owned the downtown jewelry store for 35 years, said he has never seen a holiday season like the one businesses are experiencing now.
“We've never had these type of economic conditions all at once,” he said. “I've seen years with a lot of lay-offs or recession, but I've never seen everything going in that non-typical direction.”
The economic climate in the U.S. - and Particularly Michigan - is among the poorest in decades this holiday season. The stock market has been struggling and Michigan's biggest manufacturer, the auto industry, is nearly bankrupt. Unemployment in Michigan is above 9 percent.
With that as a backdrop, business owners are hoping loyal, local customers keep them afloat this year.
“We will still have our regular customers come in, they just might not spend as much,” Cerveny said. “One advantage I have is that diamonds don't go out of style.”
Game Knights Entertainment Owner Mike Rice said no matter the product, fewer people in town will mean fewer sales.
“Hopefully things will be good, but it would nice if we had more people in the area,” Rice said. “Or more businesses in the area. There are a lot of empty buildings here but hopefully the loyal customers will still be around.”
Rice said since opening his business nearly three years ago, selling products online has helped.
“The online business definitely hurts retail businesses,” Rice said. “So I've sold things online too. You have to adapt.”
Rice also said because his business caters to fantasy game and comic book lovers, he expects to have a slower but manageable holiday season.
Soy-Beam Candle Buffet Owner Terri Jo Gould said being unique has helped her business thrive since it opened four years ago.
“We're doing phenomenally,” she said. “People are driving all over to see what we have to offer.”
Customers are allowed to create their own soy candles and provide their own containers that Gould said offers a fun, one-of-a-kind experience.
“Our products are constantly changing,” Gould said. “Maybe the guy selling TVs isn't doing so good, but we're the only place to find these things.”
While Soy-Beam is located on Main Street, businesses off of smaller streets are seeing typically lower sales, Avon Beauty Supplies Owner Debra Johnson said.
“I don't think we're hurting quite as much as some places, but it would be nice to be in another location,” she said. “I think M-21 is the best. I'd like to expand out to there so I can have more parking and better visibility.”
Johnson said she expects to see a strong holiday season.
“People will buy make-up,” she said. “We're not going to just give up because of the economy. We'll have our big sale starting on Black Friday and stay true to our customers like we always have.”
Businesses that offer general products, like Springgrove Variety, might see a decline in sales, manager Tim Herrmann said.
“We expect to be a little bit down in November,” Herrmann said, adding his business has been up and down since it opened 10 years ago. “Last year we were up for the holidays.”
Herrmann said he noticed a drop in October, when the economic crisis began.
“I don't know what to expect,” he said. “But I'm definitely hopeful. That's really all I can do.”
- Contact Nathan Bruttell at 725-5136 extension 231 or nbruttellarguspress@gmail.com. Post comments about this story online at www.argus-press.com.
not as hopeful wrote on Nov 25, 2008 7:40 AM: