By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
When Gayle Brim and Laura Miller were planning to open their shop Joyful Creations in downtown Bowling Green, they were excited that the store at 188 S. Main would be “in the heart” of the Black Swamp Arts Festival. That was before the planned opening in April had to be delayed months because of the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
And that also caused the cancelation of the arts festival as well as the Firefly Nights summer festivals.
Brim and Miller, avid crafters who make what they sell, said despite that they were able to make enough to cover their expenses since opening in May.
That was a pleasant surprise. They’ve had customers strolling through the shop, and even if they don’t make a purchase, they promise to return when they have a gift to buy.
Others have asked for custom made items.
Then in August things stalled out.
Brim said it coincided with the county’s move into the orange on the state’s advisory map, meaning it was at an elevated risk for COVID-19. It’s since reverted to yellow status.
They like other merchants in downtown Bowling Green are hoping that sidewalk sales that started Thursday and continue Friday and Saturday help give a boost.
Certainly, it doesn’t replace the tens of thousands that flood downtown during the Black Swamp Festival, but it may help.
Gayle Walterbach, owner of Coyote Beads, said that festival weekend was her best of the year.
Earlier this year the digital marketing firm Womply issued a report that put numbers behind the event’s economic impact. Looking at credit card data it found that the weekend of the festival was the peak weekend of the year when 4.35 percent of annual sales were made. No weekend during the holiday period came close, though the four weekends during that time did amount to a total of 10 percent.
It wasn’t just a matter of sales. The festival gave shops a chance to turn over merchandise.
Stacie Banfield, owner of Mode Elle Boutique, said that shop keepers have to stock up several months in advance, and in a place that has four defined seasons, that means a turnover in merchandise. “Some of us have a bulk of merchandise we want to clear.”
Not having Firefly Nights, the arts festival, and the National Tractor Pulling Championships all take their toll.
Even the return of students, while making a difference, still doesn’t have its usual impact. “It’s a strange time,” Banfield said.
“People are getting a little more comfortable wanting to come out. Our business is trying to make them feel comfortable in protecting them,” she said. The shop has sneeze guards, customers wear mask, hard surfaces get cleaned, and the shop steams clothes that people want to try on to disinfect them. “We’re doing whatever we can.”
Walterbach said while she’s maintained business online since March when store were shuttered, an important part of her business is offering classes. Those classes are now smaller, and she also offers kits, that people can take home to make or they can settle in at the shop to complete.
“People just want something to do,” she said. It’s way they can take care of their own well-being. “Making something makes you feel better.”
She’s also hosted a couple “Kits and Cocktails” events, taking advantage of the downtown’s new Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area designation.
Customers get a kit, and then go next door to The Clay Pot and get a drink and some food, and then return to the shop, where they sit outside.
Walterbach said the events have gotten good reviews. “People are craving to be together. They just want to do it safely.”
Laura Wicks, of Grounds for Thought, said the DORA has had a positive impact. She’s pleased to see more people out dining, and she and her husband, Kelly, have taken advantage of it. “It’s a lot of fun.”
She’s also pleased to see the streets busier with the sidewalk sales, and praised Banfield and Walterbach for initiating the event.
The coffeeshop and bookstore has “done better than I expected,” Wicks said.
Because the shop does not allow people to sit inside, they’ve used the tables to display some of the thousands of books they have. That’s raised awareness of the book side of the business, and led to sales.
Jon Minniear, of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em, said having students back in town, though in fewer numbers, is a good sign.
During the two-month shutdown, the shop kept in touch with customers through online Bingo, virtual game nights and more.
Since the shop reopened, business has been booming, he said. “Everyone’s bored sitting home in quarantine. Everyone’s looking for something to do, and it usually is video games.”
Many of those out of work are in their twenties and thirties, and if they have the disposable income, “they go back to their childhoods and play games.”
Still, though his business, like others peddling video games, has bucked the trend, the loss of downtown events such as Firefly Nights and the arts festival still hurts.
“We know a few nights a year, we’re going to get slammed… in a good way,” Minniear said.
Marcia Rybczynski, of Bowling Green, misses those events as well. She was looking through the clothing on the racks outside Mode Elle.
She’d learned of the sales through an email from Ben’s. “I thought I could look around and see if there are any deals that even if I don’t need them someone else might need them,” Rybczynski said. “You want to see these small stores survive,”
Stefani Burkholder, also of Bowling Green, echoed that sentiment. She’d learned of the sales from Kati Thompson, owner of Eden Fashion Boutique, and was taking this as an opportunity for an excursion with her two daughters and her mother-in-law who is visiting from Texas.
Buckholder appreciates the challenges that small businesses face. There’s competition from Amazon and other online retailers, and the pandemic has added another layer of stress. “The more I can support them the better,” she said.
Buckholder said maintaining that retail core is important “so we can thrive as a town.”
Being able to get out and enjoy the downtown atmosphere is especially welcomed after being at home for so long, she added.
Wicks gives a lot of credit to the people of Bowling Green for helping small businesses survive through all the challenges, which extend back a couple years when the area was torn up for construction.
“They are so loyal to their downtown,” she said. “You can see people are intentionally supporting us, and we’re very thankful for that.”
