Small merchants offering a 'more civilized way' to Christmas shop

Claire Bruce said she hopes holiday shoppers will take advantage of what she calls "a more civilized way" to buy gifts this season.

The owner of Sloan + Themis, 31 N. Main St., is one of 32 downtown Cape Girardeau business owners participating in Old Town Cape's Small Business Saturday promotion.

The promotion provides shoppers with passports, which they can have stamped when they make purchases from participating merchants this Saturday, said Christa Zickfield, project manager for Old Town Cape.

Each stamp enters the shopper in a drawing for a gift basket worth more than $800, Zickfield said.

The more places people shop, the more chances they will have to win the drawing, she said.

Judy Barks-Westrich, owner of The Artist Studio, works on a special holiday-themed painting Wednesday as she prepares for Small Business Saturday, set for this weekend in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Emily Priddy)

Because the promotion lasts all day -- unlike the early morning "doorbuster" specials offered by many large retailers -- traffic shouldn't be an issue, Zickfield said.

"There probably won't be such a big deal with parking, since it's relatively spread out over the entire day," she said.

While this is the first year Old Town Cape has offered a drawing, it isn't the first time downtown business owners have marked the holiday shopping season with special promotions.

"Every year, we instituted this thing called 'Shoppers' Oasis,' and we call it a more civilized way to shop," Bruce said. "Instead of shopping in a mob of people, you can come here."

At Shoppers' Oasis, Bruce offers cookies, cocktails and other treats.

"They can just kind of shop in luxury," she said.

Judy Barks-Westrich, owner of The Artist Studio, 38A N. Main St., said downtown merchants were busy last year the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and with Old Town Cape helping with promotions this year, she expects to see even more activity.

"Last year, it was a busy day, and I think this year, it's been promoted even more so by the downtown merchants. ... I think there's a lot more PR that's been done by the businesses as well as Old Town Cape, so I foresee a lot more foot traffic and a lot more excitement," Barks-Westrich said.

In preparation for the holiday season, Barks-Westrich has invited the public and her Facebook friends to "greet the season with art," she said, and she has created a special series of holiday paintings featuring reindeer and the word "believe."

"That's my way of encouraging giving art for the holidays," she said.

Old Town Cape isn't alone in its efforts to promote downtown.

Earlier this year, a loose, grassroots coalition of local businesses teamed up to do a "Gone Girl"-themed scavenger hunt, which raised enough money to cover the cost of renting a billboard at the intersection of Kingshighway and William Street, encouraging shoppers to go downtown, said Bruce and Paula Haas of Somewhere in Time Antiques, 108 N. Main St.

The independent group doesn't have a name, but Paula Haas said it has a social media hashtag: #shopdowntowncapegirardeau.

She said the group hopes to complement -- rather than compete with -- the efforts of Old Town Cape and its #shopsmall hashtag and Small Business Saturday promotion.

"We're just promoting ourselves," said Haas, who also is participating in Small Business Saturday. "... We're just trying to draw attention and say, 'You know what? We're a pretty neat place down here.'"

Shopping at locally owned businesses keeps more money in town, boosting the economy, Zickfield said.

"If you spend $100 at a local business, $73 stays here, and $27 leaves. ... If you spend $100 at a nonlocal business, only $43 will stay local, and $57 leaves," she said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

31 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO

38A N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO

108 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO

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Small Business Saturday

Who: Old Town Cape

What: Small Business Saturday promotion. Pick up a passport from any participating merchant and collect stamps to earn chances to win a gift basket valued at more than $800.

When: All day Saturday

Where: Downtown Cape Girardeau

Participants:

• American Family Insurance *-- Kody Thompson
• Annie-Em's at Home
• Annie Laurie's Antiques
• Artisan Gifts
• Broadway Prescription
• C.P. McGinty Jewelers
• Cup 'N' Cork
• DazSpell Creations
• eDen Spa and Salon
• Grass Roots BMW
• Hotshots Sports Bar and Grill
• Hutson's Fine Furniture
• Jayson Jewelers
• Lattitudes LLC
• Main Street Station
• Mississippi Mutts
• Muriel's Garden
• Opehlia
• Philanthropy
• Renaissance
• Reruns
• Shoppe La La
• Sloan + Themis
• Social's Cafe and Catering
• Somewhere in Time Antiques
• Stash
• Sweet Designs Boutique
• The Artist Studio
• The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri
• The Corner Grocery Store
• The Tangled Yarn
• Zickfield's Jewelry