Downtown merchants know what they are up against when it comes to attracting shoppers.
1. The demands on time.
“People feel they don’t have time to do anything anymore, including shopping,” said Jerry Whitworth, owner of McGinty-Whitworth, Iola’s longest standing women’s wear store.
2. The Internet.
“It’s hard to compete with the ease of shopping from home, until you buy something that doesn’t fit,” said Kelly Sigg, owner of Audacious Boutique, a women’s wear store. “And believe me, there’s no such thing as ‘free shipping,’ Delivery is figured into an online product’s price.”
3. The hassle of shopping downtown.
“We need to free up downtown parking so customers are the priority,” said Teresa Ross, owner of The Funkie Monkey, which carries women’s apparel and accessories.
4. The lack of a unified front.
“We all need to be open on Thursday nights, and why not Sunday afternoons, at least throughout the rest of the year,” said Debra Suchy of the Treasure Chest.
WEDNESDAY morning, nine downtown mer-
chants took the first step in combating all the aforementioned challenges by meeting, at the invitation of the Register, to discuss their hopes and dreams for downtown Iola and how that might result in an uptick in sales.
The truth? Downtown merchants have seen better days.
“It’s a jungle out there,” Whitworth said of the competition for shoppers’ dollars. “We’ve got to promote, promote, promote.”
Working together also is effective, said Glenn Coffield, owner of Town & Country Western wear.
An early summer Iola Market Day organized by merchants on the south side of the square yielded “pretty good” results, he said, though all agreed the temporary closing of U.S. 54 from the west has depressed sales from out-of-towners.
“Usually, I’m amazed at the amount of drive-by traffic we get. It’s especially noticeable when we have a sidewalk sale,” said Sigg. “This year, it’s been way down.”
Construction of the new bridge east of Yates Center has closed the highway since spring, with traffic being redirected south to Chanute.
Downtown events have always helped merchants, but there’s room for improvement, they say.
Could not the Farmers Market be moved to the other side of the square where the majority of retailers are located, Sigg asked.
“How about on Jefferson Street?” she posited, where six clothing stores, a pharmacy, flower shop, second-hand stores and a coffee shop are within easy walking distance.
THOUGH none of the retailers are averse to staying open longer hours to better accommodate shoppers, getting staff to go along can be a challenge.
“It means us, the owners, putting in the extra hours,” Whitworth said. At 72, Whitworth admits a yearning to “slow down,” but the demands of keeping competitive leave little chance for easing off.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first time many of the merchants have ever sat across the table from one another, Sigg said.
“I look forward to us becoming friends and not competitors,” she said. “We all have qualities that set us apart from each other and make our stores unique.”
The gathering also showed merchants they are not alone in their challenges and could benefit from the sharing of ideas such as creative window displays and marketing ideas.
Suchy, 53, shared a successful gesture at the Treasure Chest when customers were rewarded a “grab bag” item for each purchase.
“Sometimes they opened the gift right then and there to see what it was,” Suchy said of the small token, which many times was a slow-moving item from the store’s shelves. “If they didn’t like it, we said they could use it as a White Elephant gift,” Suchy said.
Duane McGraw, 72, owner of Duane’s Flowers, said his “Friday Flowers” continues to be a big draw after eight years.
“Many times people call in on Thursday to see what the Friday flower will be,” he said. “Sometimes, they want an even bigger discount on Saturday for the Friday flower. We have to tell them it doesn’t work that way,” he said with a smile.
MERCHANTS are eager to embrace new ideas to help downtown thrive.
Ryan Sparks, 33, who works with his dad, Terry, at State Farm Insurance, suggested downtown Iola go big with its Christmas decorations.
“I don’t think we can make it happen for this year, but for 2016 we could wrap the square’s buildings and trees in lights,” he said. “Iola could become a destination during the holidays,” for people to “ooh” and “aaah” over its Christmas lights.
“It would require some cooperation by the city to help us hang the lights,” he said.
He recalled Christmas Card Lane in Chanute where as a child he was entranced by the spectacle and the large crowds it attracted.
With the downtown’s buildings and trees illuminated to the nth degree, Sparks said he could envision the regular Thursday night visits by Santa to be a much-enhanced activity including carolers, treats and other activities to bring families downtown.
Merchants also voiced support for the Santa House to be open on Saturday or Sunday afternoons to attract families downtown.
MERCHANTS realize it’s not enough to simply open their doors and expect shoppers to come their way.
Many have worked to make their stores more attractive.
In his nine years back in Iola since graduating from college, Sparks and his dad have invested heavily in remodeling the State Farm office and the younger has upgrades planned for real estate he has purchased around the square.
Whitworth said he would like to remove the exterior metal siding on McGinty’s in the next few years. In the last year he has installed new carpet throughout the store.
The Funkie Monkey is currently redoing its decor and adding a section of “gently used” clothing.
Coffield’s Town & Country has installed new windows and spruced up the interior with a new coat of paint.
And two years ago Sigg’s Audacious Boutique moved to a larger and more prominent location.
Merchants look forward to working together.
Iola High School’s homecoming parade is Oct. 2. And for Farm-City Days, Oct. 14-17, they’ve agreed to let SAFE BASE students decorate the sidewalks in front of their stores with chalk art and to stay open that Thursday until 8 p.m.
A Christmas Block Party is from 4 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 11, a Friday.
AT THE conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting they agreed this should be the first of many to come. Next week’s is at 8 a.m. at the Iola Register. Any downtown merchant is welcome to attend.
