Christmas Open House a win for local business

Smalltown USA has faced some difficult challenges since early 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some didn’t survive while others found a way to keep their doors open.

Many communities did everything in their power to help local businesses through those difficult times and exit the other side with their doors still open.

Poplar Bluff and area consumers have done their part to support local businesses, and that was never more apparent than Nov. 5-6. The Daily American Republic, along with co-sponsors the City of Poplar Bluff and Butler County, conducted the annual Christmas Open House. Fifteen businesses took part.

And they’re glad they did.

Many of those businesses had their best sales ever for the annual open house. They shared what they thought of the event in a full-page ad located in the Nov. 13 edition of the DAR.

The businesses that took part included Archer Apothecary Gift Co., Envy Boutique, Blue Relics & Revivals, Hale’s Jeweler’s Bench, La Boutique, New Leaf Flower & Plant Shop, Certified Southern, Rustic Roots, Whitworth’s Gift Chest Jewelers, Bella Bee, Hillock’s A Man’s Store, The Blessed Nest, Blufftown Mercantile & Coffee House, Pepper & Oliver, and The Back Forty Market.

As an incentive for people to shop at these businesses, the DAR, city of Poplar Bluff and Butler County donated $500 each so the businesses could share it with their customers as a thank you for shopping at their locations.

The DAR also publicized the event in the newspaper, on its website (darnews.com) and Facebook page. Those three avenues of promotion obviously worked, and can do the same for all local businesses any time of the year.

In a time that seems like everyone wants to pick a side on almost any topic, it’s so refreshing to see the community come together and support locally owned small businesses. Without that support, the odds of a business surviving go way down.

We also appreciate the 15 businesses’ trust in the DAR to deliver customers to their doorsteps (in some cases, we’re told, customers lined up before the businesses opened). We’re a small business just like the 15 who took part in the open house. Without the support of the community, the newspaper won’t survive either.

And we’re sure the success of the open house is music to the ears of Poplar Bluff and Butler County leaders. The more money spent in local businesses helps those entities. It also may push others to open a business.

As we enter the busy holiday shopping season, we want to thank those already doing it for keeping their money local and urge others to look close to home at the many great businesses right here in region.

Helping support each other is what makes living in a community like ours desirable.