WEATHERING THE STORM

by
Maryann Miller

However you want to call it, the economic downturn -- sounds less scary than financial crisis -- is affecting Winnsboro businesses in different ways.

Lyndi McCulloch who owns Ladles to Linens, the upscale gourmet kitchen shop, has seen her business fall off dramatically, but then she said she is not all that surprised. "Gourmet items are somewhat of a luxury," she said. "And people start paring back by not buying as many luxury items.

"I have everything people want, but don't need," she continued with a smile. "Well, maybe the wine and chocolate are 'needs.'"

The wine is from Lou Viney Winery, and Lyndi is the exclusive outlet for the wines in Winnsboro. She will make private labels for birthdays, corporate gifts, weddings, and showers. She also has a bar where people can come for a wine tasting, as well as purchase wine by the glass. "It's a good place to stop by if folks are in town for dinner and waiting on a table at one of the restaurants in town," Lyndi said.

To counter some of the effects of the downturn in the economy, Lyndi is selling her building to raise some capital to put back into the business. She is also working hard to promote the business and online sales. She considers the new Portal being developed for Winnsboro to be a great asset and she has signed up to participate.

One benefit of Internet marketing is the ability to serve customers no matter where they are. Lyndi gave the example of a shower she did for a bride-to-be in Boston. "The shower was actually given by a friend of the family that lives in Tennessee. She sent out invitations telling everyone to shop from my Web site , then I wrapped and shipped all the gifts to the site of the shower in Boston."

Judi Casey, who owns The Pet Palace with her husband, KC, said that their business is holding steady as far as bottom line goes, but people's buying patterns are changing. "They are buying less of the toys and clothes and focusing more on necessities like food.

"So I've changed my orders," she continued. "I'm stocking less luxury items and more of the necessities."

Judi also has all of her luxury items on sale right now, because people might be more apt to buy a cute sweater for their dog if it is on sale. "You really have to change how you manage your business when the economy is suffering," Judi said. "Don't carry as much inventory. Make sure you keep your customer service up. And hang on until things turn around."

Missy Duke at Calico Junction also noted the change in buying habits of her customers. "People are still coming in to buy what they need," she said. "But there is less 'whim' buying. For instance, point of sales items by the register are not as common as they used to be.

To weather the downturn, Missy also has her building for sale, although she will keep the business. She has also cut down on purchasing inventory. "I've been more careful about what and how much I order," she said. "Although that has had it drawbacks in terms of less of a color selection of fabrics. But I can still order any color for a customer, and most don't mind waiting for it to come in."

At Jan's Antiques, Sue Hitzemann and her mother, Nell Eubanks, said that they have not been as severely affected as some other business in town. In fact, Sue said that May was a great month for them, but that was because there were a lot of tourists through the city that month. "Our business relies on tourists," Sue said. "Every customer but one today has been from out of town. Most from the Metroplex."

The ladies did say that they have been a little more cautious in their buying habits over the past several months. They think more about whether they can sell an item before buying it. But Nell said in the long term she is not worried. "I've been doing this for 50 years," she said, referring to retail sales. "And I've seen a lot of ups and downs. This is not any worse than some of those other downtimes."

(She wasn't really telling that to this charming young man. They were talking about chocolate.)