"SHOP LOCAL!" The cry goes out every holiday season from chambers of commerce and city officials everywhere. And the reasoning is sound. By spending your money locally you are not only investing in your city's infrastructure through your tax dollars but also keeping your friends and neighbors employed.
It seems like a no brainer to me. But I recently read a letter to the editor which quibbled with that bit of wisdom. "It's a tough economic world out there right now, and while merchants' struggles to compete are hurtful to watch, we are all guarding our money and looking for the best deals," the writer said.
Are we all really that cavalier about our neighbors' business establishments? Is the Mom and Pop becoming an endangered species in a world of big retail chains and Internet discounts? Two local retail fixtures in our town, Adventures for Kids and Bonnie's, have recently called it quits and the owner of at least one of those stores said the Internet and a large chain store contributed to her store's demise.
ON THE OTHER END of the spectrum are the shoppers who don't mind traveling to Thousand Oaks or Santa Barbara for a more upscale and decidedly wallet-thumping experience.
Not long ago, several friends and I went on a road trip to worship on the altar of the new Nordstrom in Thousand Oaks. The opening of that store has generated much excitement among the retail therapy crowd. Nordstrom's shoe department, especially, is spoken about with hushed reverence among some women I know.
It was a good female bonding experience. And while we greatly admired the $495 pair of Burberry shoes, the $1,200 fox-and-cashmere sweater and runway-styled fitting rooms, only I left with a purchase and it was under $75.
I haven't been back.
Many Nordstrom fans wondered why it didn't instead open in Ventura in the space now occupied by the new Target. The issue is demographics, said Alice Love, the mall's marketing manager. High-end stores look at the average incomes of the local residents, she explained. "We just haven't hit their mark."
Target decided to open at Pacific View after seeing the success of the Main Street store, Love said. Both stores are doing well, she added. The Pacific View Target carries more household items and is fashion-oriented. The Main Street store has a garden center.
Long vacant, the north end of the mall is being actively shopped to several retailers, Love and city officials have all confirmed, but they remain tight-lipped on just who. "I can't say until the lease is signed, sealed and delivered," she said.
And how has retail traffic been this holiday season? "Compared to last year, it's been pretty flat," Love said. "But retailers have new strategies to deal with this economy." Shopping local keeps your neighbors employed, Love said. And many franchise businesses at Pacific View are locally owned and operated, she reminded me.
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT I find myself shopping at the unique locally owned boutiques Downtown. On a recent trip my daughter and I found bargains at the new Rag Doll on Main Street, where owner Alisa Hoganson showed us the feathered headbands she makes herself and sells at a fraction of what a pricey teen-age boutique in The Oaks charges. She also designs her own clothing which she soon hopes to feature in her store.
"Locally owned establishments probably make up well over 95 percent of the businesses Downtown," Rob Edwards, director of the Downtown Ventura Organization, told me. "We have just a few chain restaurants and only one nationally known retailer."
The DVO has spent a considerable amount of time and energy sprucing up the neighborhood for the season. Property owners chipped in to buy eight new benches and new holiday banners. They've installed new refuse and recycling bins.
"The streets are repaved after nine long months of construction and the icing on the cake is our new festival lighting -- festive strands of flame-tip bulbs that require very little energy but have a vintage European feel," Edwards said. They will remain on the palm trees year-round.
Shopping Downtown is a civic duty, the always-enthusiastic Edwards maintains. "These business owners live next door to you and donate to our local non-profit charities at a much higher frequency than corporations headquartered out of state," Edwards said. "Ergo, your dollars are recycled back into the community when you purchase your holiday gifts from the locals -- and the service is usually much more attentive in my experience," he added.
Saving local jobs, bargains, one-of-a-kind gifts, and better service to boot. So, to our Scrooge-like letter-to-the-editor writer I ask: Why would you go anywhere else?
Special note: I've been asked by a friend to add that the Christmas tree lot Downtown at California and Thompson is donating part of their proceeds to the Police Activities League, a very worthy cause. Happy holidays!
Two years ago I did 100% of my Christmas shopping downtown. Last year I was traveling a lot so I resorted to mostly online shopping-- The shipping charges were outrageous and pretty much undid the savings that initially enticed me. Since there is free gift wrapping available at Red Brick Gallery and there are no shipping charges, I am heading back to downtown again this year. Besides, the internet doesnt offer winebars and entertainment like downtown Ventura does. Why not send a little bit of Ventura to your friends far away and when they ask where you got the gift, tell 'em downtown and encourage them to come leave some $$$ here too!
Living and owning my own business in downtown I choose to spend my holiday money locally and since there are so many different types of shops I can do that. Everyone's budgets are tighter this year than they have been in a long time so many of the local merchants are also featuring unique gifts at great prices. Why would anyone want to buy their art at a chain store in the mall when you can find something unique and help support the local artists? People think art has to be expensive, but if you look at the prices of the art in my gallery (Red Brick Gallery), the Buenaventura Gallery and the Artist Union you would be so surprised how many unique presents you can buy for the same price as what you would spend on-line or in a big box store. All of us business owners invite the public all over Ventura to see what's new and shop local help the local economy and environment.
I would encourage all to shop locally - I did some on-line for my East Coast relatives but will finish up by hitting Camarillo stores (I live in Camarillo). Last year I did a quick trip in downtown Ventura and hope to do the same this year. THere are a lot of nice stores in both cities.
Marie:
I'm really pleased when I read stories actually related to local challenges on your blog. Even though I'm not from Ventura, Simi Valley has many of the same challenges.
My biggest challenge is the prices and choices available on the internet. In addition, I have many friends and family I shop for that do not live in the immediate area. Many sites on the internet have free shipping and they'll drop ship it right to my friend or family member's house, so I'll send a card from me and a wrapped gift from whatever site I buy from.
One area that might be worth looking at is coming up with a method where local retailers show how their products beat internet prices. Perhaps, even develop a community site where retailers can post their deals right next to prices available on the web.
I have tracked most of my shopping and generally do all of it in Simi Valley, but the internet definitely takes a portion of my spending as well.
Price and value are my most important considerations when I buy just as it is to my customers. The more I see local retailers competing along those lines, the more apt I'd be to buy from them.
I want to shop locally, but it's up to the retailer to pitch a good deal and make it worthwhile.
One thing Ventura does not have is a good electronics store. My hope is that this is what will come to the north end of the mall, but with the economy such as it is and the Circuit City in Oxnard going away, I wonder.
I have really tried to pry out of both our mayor and Alice Love at the mall what is going in there. Christy only smiled and said, "You will be happy." Alice told me I would be happy, too.
No scoops for this blogger.
So our family ends up in Oxnard and on the Internet buying electronics except for what we can buy at Target and Gamestop. We rent all our DVDs from Salzers, though. It's locally owned.
Also keep in mind that shopping at locally owned merchants keeps more dollars in our community. According to Civic Economics, 68 cents of every dollar spent at a locally owned business stay in the community versus 43 cents when spent at a chain store.
And shopping online hurts our community the most. Local sales tax is important to keep our infrastructure going - It can't only be about price...
I think I wrote that price and value should be the most important considerations. For instance, if you value money going to your local community by all means, shop locally.
If you value price point, by all means focus on getting the best price.
I think there has to be a balance.
In terms of shopping online, I don't subscribe to the "if you shop online, you are hurting your community." In fact, by getting better prices and saving money as a result, I'm able to afford bigger capital purchases or donate larger portions of my savings into my own community's charities.
I think they work together.
In terms of Civic Economics, its generally common knowledge that the studies are sponsored by local retailer associations who's goal is to promote local shopping.
I don't see anything wrong with that either, but let's not assume that the studies don't have a slant.
Hi Marie:
When you say there are no good electronic stores in town, is it for a lack of trying by the city?
I know Ventura seems like decent market for such a store. Why isn't there one to meet consumer demand?
Scott, we had two of them within a block of each other at one time and they both folded.
I think it has been a particular project of Council member Bill Fulton's to add an electronic store to the mix. Many others have been working on this.
I would love a Best Buy or one of those big, Disneyland-type Frys like in Northridge. (The stores that are themed.)
Not to be a bearer of bad news Marie but Circuit City, which was in Ventura, is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is closing at least 155 stores. Ca was hit the hardest with 24 of them closing, two being as close as Thousand Oaks & Santa Barbara. Best Buy, the largest electronics retailer, just reported a 77% decrease in 3rd qtr profit and offered their corporate employees a voluntary buyout. Their same store sales are down over 6%. Fry's is in Oxnard already and the next closest is Woodland Hills, and then Burbank. I doubt Ventura fits in with their expansion plans (if they even have them) as we're sitting next door to Oxnard. I wouldn't hold your breath for the short term Marie.
No doubt these high ticket price retailers are very sexy for sales tax dollars, but when they fold or sales drop significantly there is a void that is felt by the municipalities who counted on them. I hate to bring it up but for what it's worth, one retailer who weathers the storm a little better in times like this...Walmart.
I knew about Circuit City, but not Best Buy. That's too bad. A big Fry's was just a wish. Just like IKEA is a wish for others.
Wal-Mart is free to open in the old Kmart building. They just can't go over 100,000 square feet in that particular space because it would conflict with our general plan. They could go behind the Auto Mall in that area where they are hoping to attract large retailers, but not if the anti-Big Box initiative passes.
I live in Simi Valley, I am pretty bummed that the TO Circuit city is closing, but that is mainly because i work in westlake and drop off my circuit city CC payment there, I didnt normally shop at this Circuit city because they never had anything in stock or they sold out due to the low product shipments they got due to being a small circuit city.
As for Fry's I only shop there for software, dvds, or other products that have a low % of defects.
Frys has the most ridiculous return policies that you have to almost bend over to pay fees to get something returned. Not to mention I dont trust Frys due to the past issues with putting returned merchandise back on the shelf as new.
Frys has good deals but you have to be careful what you buy, frankly I wont buy large electronic equipment purchases, computers or other high end electronics because I would rather pay and extra $100 bucks at bestbuy or circuit city knowing that I wont have to deal with a basket full of stress in trying to return it should a problem come up.
For those that live in Simi Valley if you are looking for unusual gifts check out sword and sorcery, they have a wide selection of fantasy (as in dragons, fairys ect.)magic tricks, swords, pewter, clothing and many other great gifts. They are off of Tapo street.
Downtown Ventura is the place to shop for most anything. If you are interested in supporting our merchants and having our City thrive even in these "hard times" now is the time to buy local.
It was such a joy to drive down Main Street and see the lights and the stores, not all of them open past 6PM, and actually be able to shop at night.
Thankyou to the Downtown Ventura Organization for your commitment to bringing sustainability, life and beauty to San Buenaventura.