GEORGETOWN, Ky. (WKYT) – Mom-and-pop stores in the Bluegrass area are hoping for strong sales on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
However, some of these small businesses have seen threats to their profit margins, including inflation and supply chain issues.
Inside a downtown boutique called All That and More, you’ll find shoppers ready for the holidays.
For business owner Tina Peffer, two big shopping days are right around the corner.
“Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are definitely the Super Bowl for retail,” Peffer said. “I needed those two days to be huge.”
Why? Peffer said the fourth-quarter boost maintained her budget for 2022 and the first quarter of next year. However, there are also concerns. The 63-year-old said she had a Christmas open house and sales were down 25 per cent on last year.
The company is selling products once reserved for boutiques to big box stores and direct to consumers, Peffer said.
Other threats to stores include online shopping, inflation and supply chain issues.
However, Steve McLean of the Kentucky Retail Federation said small businesses are having solid years.
“They think part of it is people wanting to go back to the stores,” Steve McClain said.
Reports from other small businesses in central George Town point to strong sales.
One of the things that can make or break a clothing store is loyal customers, Peffer said. New customer Ramona Kalia says it’s important to shop locally and thinks we can’t let these stores die.
“We needed to stick to some of our roots, which we did, and that was one of the things we didn’t want to lose,” Kalia said.
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