Can York County’s small businesses thrive this weekend? It depends, owners say

Rock Hill native Liz Ross expected she would be on her own in the early days as she opened her clothing store.

For the first couple of years, she figured she would run the storefront, order supplies and keep everything in check.

Her success with Southern Fried Chics — a Southern-bred clothing store with a cutesy name to match — quickly made that impossible.

“When I opened the store, I couldn’t handle the soft opening on my own,” Ross said. “I’ve got about 18 to 20 full-time employees now.”

Ross is one of several York County small business owners who say they’re feeling optimistic about strong sales during the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

An estimated 164 million U.S. consumers are expected to start their holiday shopping this weekend, according to data released by the National Retail Federation. About 71 million shoppers will descend on small businesses across the country, the NRF estimates.

While Black Friday typically gets the most attention from shoppers looking to get deals from big-box stores, many local businesses in the county say they’re hoping to receive a strong boost on Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick-and-mortar businesses that are small and local.

Last year, shoppers spent an estimated $15.4 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on the day, according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business for Amex. That was a decrease from the estimated $16.2 billion in 2015.

Still, owners and managers across the area say Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity to build brand recognition and educate shoppers on the merchants in their own back yards.

Angela Morris, a manager at Monkeys & Mermaids boutique on Herlong Avenue in Rock Hill, said Friday she noticed several customers who came to support local stores.

While many customers enjoy waking up early on Black Friday for deals at chain stores such as Wal-Mart or Target, Morris said they often migrate to family-owned stores later in the weekend.

“I’m excited to see what tomorrow will be like,” she said. “I’m ready for it. I’ve got my coffee and I’m ready. I don’t know how many cups of coffee it’ll take me through the day.”

Some local merchants have been gearing up for the Thanksgiving rush for a while. Louella Rupert, owner of The Children’s Cottage gift boutique in Fort Mill’s Baxter Village, said she started her Black Friday deals a week ago.

She said it’s important to capture the consumers who stock up on holiday gifts before and after the busiest days.

“For me, this particular weekend is about the relatives coming into town,” Rupert said. “The (grandmas) who help buy clothing and certain things for their grandchildren while the mothers are out shopping in town.”

Paul Nigro, owner of The Newsstand Record & Books on Rock Hill’s East Main Street, said he’s not expecting an uptick in foot traffic this weekend. Nigro said his store’s location on Main Street isn’t ideal for impulse shoppers because there are only a few other retail options nearby.

Nigro said he’s optimistic he’ll see more shoppers during Rock Hill’s annual ChristmasVille celebration Nov. 30-Dec. 3. The holiday event helped create $2.6 million in total economic impact last year. Nigro said he thinks the store will earn about 20 percent of its annual profits from Thanksgiving through the end of the year.

We’ll have a lot of interest near ChristmasVille,” he said. “We get a lot of people coming in that didn’t know we were here, and eventually they’ll become customers.”

Ross said she’s gearing up for a hectic shopping weekend. She said about “99 percent” of sales from her company’s sweaters, T-shirts, shoes and more come from online consumers.

Southern Fried Chics will offer significant discounts during the holidays, she said. A pullover sweater is on sale for $39.95 (retail $125), while Criss-Cross Leggings are about $19.95, she said.

While margins may be thinner during the Thanksgiving-Christmas period, Ross said the time was right to lock in loyal customers and help brand recognition.

“The fourth quarter’s huge,” she said. “Sales have been good for us all year.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Can York County’s small businesses thrive this weekend? It depends, owners say."