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1615 Sardis Road N # 2B
704-849-8225
www.villageemporiumcharlotte.com
Front Door Fabrics, a fabric and wallpaper store
Karen Dixon: We bought Rogers Brothers Fabrics about two years ago right as the recession was hitting, and since we have been in business, it has been a rollercoaster. We have had extreme highs and extreme lows. In March, we had probably our best month in a long time. April was probably one of the worst months, so we are just trying to figure out how to do business based on the average, not on any given month. We've seen an upturn in the last month. But the time we felt that the recession really hit Charlotte -- probably in April, you know after the first quarter earnings came out and unemployment started going up -- that's when we felt like it had hit. But in the past month we've seen an improvement. It's a wild ride. We've had a lot more focus on service. People aren't as willing to just give up their dollars anymore -- they're taking a lot more time and thinking about their purchases longer, so it's a lot more careful buying.
9517 Monroe Road
704-844-6330
Asana Activewear, a speciality apparel retail company for active men and women
Gary Schwake: In terms of business, it's a challenging environment. We've only been open for two years. We opened in September of 2007, and therefore, have no prior indications of how business went. We were in our first year, which is a challenge with any retail business to begin with. Then of course with last summer it really started to weaken out a little bit, and then of course the bottom fell out in September when the financial mess happened. We have been able to hold in there well with last year. You obviously want to see growth, but given the environment, we are pleased that we're able to hang in there. We're optimistic about the fall, although I think it's going to be a challenge for a long time. I think it's going to be a year or more before we start to feel a little bit of confidence come back. I don't think it'll get worse necessarily; I just don't think it's going to bounce back. It's going to be a long slow climb now, so we focus on how we're spending money and the lines we're bringing and what we're investing in inventory and how we're spending our marketing dollars so we can continue to be here to add value to our customers.
You can't take anything for granted. It takes a lot of work to make sure that you stay with your customers, that you're constantly evaluating and experimenting with new ideas and new things. We feel very good in that we, in activewear and athletic apparel, are a place where people are seeking refuge. It's a place that they're willing to invest in because of the practical nature of the apparel, serving both a workout function as well as being able to be worn throughout the day as a lifestyle. It fits in the theme of really being smart with how they spend money. From our specific business standpoint, we continue to be very aggressive and continue to work through our marketing plan and try to add value to our customers in terms of selection and just keep our nose down and keep doing what we're doing and come out strong on the other side.
3920 Sharon Road
704-366-8020
LazyDay.com, a social networking Web site
Scott Valentine: Lazyday.com has been pretty recession-proof so far. We are very pro-active in looking for new ways to make money for both our company and the bars/clubs we work with. Three of our four cities are making more money this year than last, including Charlotte. Lazyday.com is even expanding into Greensboro, N.C., next month. The trick is to be flexible and creative when the economy takes a turn and to save money when things are going well (politicians take note).
