Gainesville businesses ready for holiday shopping

Posted 3:27PM on Friday, November 28, 2014

GAINESVILLE - As the holiday shopping seaon begins, the small, local and family owned businesses on the Downtown Square in Gainesville prepare for shopper. There are roughly 30 businesses, from the sprawling Dress Up Boutique, which opened a second store on the Square in 2010 and has since boomed into 10 stores and an online hot spot for young women's fashion; to Saul's, a women's clothing store that has been family-owned and operated for 75 years. In between, there are stores like J.R. Crider's, a clothing boutique that began as a haberdashery in Dahlonega and, like Dress Up, expanded to Gainesville meet the needs of their clientele. J.R. Crider's will be participating in their first Christmas shopping season on the Square this year. Katherine Filchak is the PR Director for J.R. Crider's, and she says the Gainesville location has actually had more traffic than their home store in Dahlonega. "We do sales that are compatible to big department stores, but... department stores don't carry other same brands that we have, so as far as that goes, we don't exactly compete," said Filchak. "And we really pride ourselves on our environment in the store... and we just try to provide really good customer service." Saul's has been operating a women's clothing store on the Square for 75 years. Owner Lorrey Schrage said each holiday shopping season is different, but this year looks encouraging. "I think we're getting more traffic, and we're having a better response to inventory this year than we have in the past," said Schrage. "We try real hard to buy things that are different, that you don't find in the department stores and our customers understand that and understand the quality." Moving from the women's clothing sector into gifts and other items, near Saul's is Frames You-Nique. Owner Don Griffin thinks the biggest difference between a big box store and his framing and gift store, is the numbers. "The box stores, as far as the framing side goes, you're a number, you're not a customer. And they're looking at doing items turning around quickly, they're looking for numbers strictly, they don't want to take time with you because to them, that takes away from their bonuses, so the longer they spend with you the less chance they have of getting a bonus," Griffin said. "Where, with us, that's what it's all about. We want to give you the best that we can so that you will then tell your friends and neighbors." "On the gift side, we try to carry things that are a step above what they're going to find in big box stores. Now, some things you will find in here that you'll find in the box stores, but it's gonna be the same price, so price is not really an issue. but you're going to find things in here that you're not going to find anywhere else." Griffin specifically mentioned the art selection carried at the store. Some items, he said, were limited editions, and the only ones in the state would be in his store. "If you're looking for something different, that's why you come here. If you're looking for something everybody's got, you go to the box store. So it depends, are you looking for something unique, or are you following the crowd?" When it came to sales numbers, the general consensus was positive. Frames You-Nique expects up to a 10 percent increase in sales, and J.R. Crider's noticed more business at the new Gainesville location than at the home location in Dahlonega. At Saul's, staff agreed that more people were out shopping on the Square this year than last year. The most common factor between the businesses on the Square was that the items they sold were different than the ones found on a shelf at a department store. Be it specialty brands or custom details, quality products were the top priority of each local store. Another common factor? The small, family owned businesses did not see a department stores as their competition. Small Business Saturday follows Black Friday and lands on November 29, 2014.