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The BookMark, an independent bookstore
David Friese: Oh, it's horrible. We are a good reflection of the economy. We are not a destination store; we are a convenience store. And so we are affected by discretionary cash and things like that. We reflect what the economy is reflecting.
100 N Tryon St. # 265
704-377-2565
Charlotte Yarn, a yarn store
Remi Haygood: Charlotte Yarn has experienced higher sales in the past year. We have moved from Selwyn Avenue to Kenilworth Commons on East Boulevard. The new location has made us more accessible and easier to find. We have been getting more first-time customers and there seems to be an increased interest in knitting and crocheting from our regular customers. We have had an increase in the number of people that sign-up for classes and come by to sit, knit/crochet, and socialize. Knitting and crocheting are therapies that relieve stress during these difficult economic times, especially if you are job hunting. Conversations with customers seems to indicate that they are staying closer to home and finding that knitting and/or crocheting are less expensive than going out to dinner or other hobbies. They also say that they have begun making gifts, rather than going out and buying them. We have noticed a definite increase in sales from people making baby items for gifts or personal use.
1235 East Blvd.
704-373-7442
Kilwin's Chocolates and Ice Cream, a confectionary shop
George Click: Business is OK. It's not tremendous, but it's not horrible. We're pretty much holding our own right now. We've started to see some signs of recovery; things are starting to point back upward again after a somewhat of a slowdown. We've had some signs of improvement that we've been able to see in the economy.
14835 John J Delaney Drive
704-369-5250
Rockhouse Events, an events and promotions company
Rich Saner: It's actually been pretty good I should say; considering the economic times, business has been very steady. Summer for Rockhouse tends to slow down -- I don't think I blame that on the economy. That happens to Rockhouse every year because we don't have as many big events and people are taking vacations, people are going to the lake. I usually expect a little bit of a downturn in the summertime for Rockhouse. Overall for the year, though, we're staying pretty solid. I think we're lucky because our events are somewhat reasonably priced. You know, people might be cutting back on major expenses, but at the end of the day, I think people still want to go out, have fun, blow off some steam and socially network. So business has actually stayed pretty consistent. A little bit of a dropoff; but, you know, I always tell people when they ask me, "How's business?" I say: "Well, I'm still in business, so that's good for now."
Internet Contrasts, a computer networking and Internet services company
Chris Jenkins: Our computer networking business has been very strong as we've recently been contracted to project lead for Morgan's Wonderland, a special needs amusement park. Our Internet Services division has been lagging all year; however, as Google's local business service continue to take over the online directory market for small businesses, we are seeing an increase in helping clients get listed.
Neighborhood Theatre, a music venue
Mike Stone: Business for us has been holding up pretty good. We have seen some downturn on some shows here and there, usually on our higher ticket priced shows. If we have several shows close to each other that are somewhat similar in genre, we have seen some picking and choosing between the shows where in the past they might have attended all the shows. Other than this, we have to this point felt like we have done a good job presenting shows and our shows have been attended well. My guess would be our music-loving fans are bypassing a trip out of town and are staying closer to home this year and are spending their entertainment monies with local businesses.
511 E 36th St
704-358-9298
Heels.com, a Web site selling women's shoes
Eric McCoy: We are doing very well, locally, nationally, internationally -- all facets of our business have seen growth this year.
801 N. Tryon St.
866-33-HEELS
Canine Café, a pet supply store that offers homemade healthy dog treats
Meredith Thompson: While we are fortunate to have great loyal customers, we've noticed that compared to last summer, our business is down a bit. We've added a do-it-yourself dog wash in our bakery area to fill in the gap. Our customers are loving this because it provides them with an inexpensive way to groom their dogs and reduce the stress and mess involved with trying to bathe their dogs at home. (Anything that makes life a little easier in these trying times is a good thing.) We provide all the shampoos, conditioner, doggie colognes, grooming tools, raised bath (to save your back) and warm and cool water. And, of course, plenty of treats to sweeten the deal for the dog. The cost is only $12 (or $20 for two dogs) and the 12th bath is free. The response so far has been that this is a great value and an added convenience that our customers appreciate. I think it's important to adapt in this economy and give customers what they need, so we've tried to do that with this new service.
