People start wrapping up their holiday shopping. So what does it mean to be a small business? Kelly Van Dyke, who co-owns Eyre Home with her husband, said that meant no customers were taken for granted. “Every single person who walks through this door means a lot and means a lot. It also has an impact on our business and our families,” Van Dyke said. After a difficult hurricane season, inflation concerns and climate Lingering effects of change During the pandemic, some business owners on Ivanhoe Row in Orlando say they welcome the boost. Nationally, the U.S. Commerce Department reported strong turnout among shoppers as the holiday season kicked off. The department also reported a drop in retail sales after Black Friday. Maffrey’s Good Goods owner Jeff Starkes said they haven’t seen a steady holiday turnout like this in years. “We’re not really sure what a normal Christmas is going to be like for us. So we’re seeing items,” said Starkes. “It seems like a lot of people are passionate about small businesses and are really going to try to shop locally,” Van Dyke said. as a priority. “They saw that support after Hurricane Ian caused flooding. “We had people say, ‘What? Do you need it? Like, can we help? People still take the time to connect with us. I think it just goes to show how special this business is,” Starks said. The small business owners interviewed by WESH said it was the kind of strong support they saw during the holidays. Even those facing the economic downturn in the New Year Threats, their support would help. So I hope that’s a good thing for us as well,” Van Dyke said. Shopping tends to slow down in January and stays steady throughout the spring, but summer is the slowest period so it’s really play time for small businesses, those store owners say.
People start wrapping up their holiday shopping. So what does it mean to be a small business?
Kelly Van Dyke, who co-owns Eyre Home with her husband, said that meant no customers were taken for granted.
“Everyone who walks through this door means a lot and means a lot. It has an impact on our business and our families,” Van Dyke said.
After a tough hurricane season, inflation concerns and the lingering effects of the pandemic, some business owners on Ivanhoe Row in Orlando said they welcomed the boost.
Nationally, the U.S. Commerce Department reported strong turnout among shoppers as the holiday season kicked off.
The department also reported a drop in retail sales after Black Friday.
Jeff Starkes, owner of Maffrey’s Good Goods, said they haven’t seen such a steady holiday turnout in years.
“We weren’t really sure what a normal Christmas would look like for us. So we saw what a normal Christmas would look like. So far so good,” Starks said.
Van Dyke said the big discounts and online shopping were driving consumers to big box stores.
Starks said he sees many shoppers looking for items with a local connection or a story behind them.
“It seems like a lot of people are passionate about small businesses and really making it a priority to try and shop locally,” Van Dyke said.
They saw that support after Hurricane Ian caused flooding.
“We’ve had people say, ‘What do you need? Like, can we help?’ People still take the time to reach out to us. I think that just speaks to how special this business is,” Starks said.
Small business owners interviewed by WESH said it was the kind of strong support they saw during the holiday season.
Even with the threat of a poor economy in the new year, their support will help.
“A lot of people seem to find us out shopping during the holidays. So I hope that’s a good thing for us as well,” Van Dyke said.
Shopping tended to slow in January and remained steady throughout spring, but summer was the slowest period, those shopkeepers said. So it’s really game time for small businesses.