Local businesses see varying success this holiday season
Kirsten Adair, Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
6 min read
Dec. 24—The push to shop at local businesses made a difference this year to many small shops in Logansport.
Despite the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and a subsequent rise in prices, many locally owned businesses said residents have turned out in force to support them during the holiday season.
Aaron Click, store manager at The Record Farm, said it has not reached the same level of foot traffic it had before COVID-19, but business is still busier than expected.
"I think it's getting back towards what it used to be," Click said. "I think people are a little more comfortable now."
Click said Christmas shopping began this year with a "flip of a switch" at The Record Farm and has picked up over the past few weeks.
Jeff Todd went to The Record Farm to find a Christmas gift for his son. Todd said his son would like vintage vinyl records from bands like Led Zeppelin.
"It's nice that I can come here and get something for him pretty easily instead of having to go on eBay or something like that," Todd said. Todd completed some of his Christmas shopping online, but he said he frequently enjoys visiting local businesses as well.
Some businesses are finding it more difficult to recover from the pandemic. Gabriel Fermoselle, owner of La Esperanza Jewlery and Gifts, said he is still waiting on business to pick up.
"People are buying more online than shopping in the physical store," Fermoselle said. "I've done that myself."
Fermoselle said he thinks the pandemic has played a large part in encouraging people to shop online. He said others will go to bigger cities because they think they can find a better selection or get better deals.
Fermoselle said it is always worth checking out local businesses, however — even if it seems unlikely that they carry a product. He said a man came into his store looking for a particular type of cologne after exhausting his other options. The man had searched Kokomo and Lafayette, but to no avail. Not only did La Esperanza carry the cologne, but it was less expensive than the man expected.
Logansport has a long list of beloved small businesses, and that list continued to grow this year. The Lantern, a newer business to the area, started online and only recently moved into a brick and mortar home. Frank Rouch, cashier and co-operator of the store, said that while some weekdays can be slow, the weekends make up for it.
"Our online business was good during the pandemic because people were inside and just felt like spending money," Roch said. "This is a hopeful venture. Meeting the public face-to-face has been really fun."
Heather Broadley heard about The Lantern from a friend of a friend. She was looking for candles and socks as a Christmas gift for her sister, but Broadley said she wouldn't mind finding something for herself as well.
"This place is amazing," Broadley said. "I'm excited to see it once the shop is completely set up."
The Lantern is not the only new addition to Logansport's small business scene. Sage n' Tonic, owned by Jody Achey, has created a positive buzz within the community since its opening this summer. Achey said a lot of people are shopping, and she is very grateful to her customers.
"I think it's been fantastic," Achey said. "We've got a lot of patrons who have actually come down to shop local, and they've come out in force. I think that's wonderful."
One patron told Achey that the shop's crystal mushrooms touched her heart. Another Sage n' Tonic patron, Shelby Graham, went to the shop to find a sought-after brand of soap. Graham said her friend was raving about a particular peppermint soap that made their skin feel soft.
"I thought it would make a really nice gift," Graham said. When she asked Achey about the soap, Achey directed her to the last two bars and told Graham that the soap has been in high demand.
Two other popular shops that have gotten a high amount of holiday traffic are Fernbaugh's Diamonds and Fine Jewelry and Minglin Jewelers. Both jewelers said they have been very busy this season.
Derek McGuire, owner of Fernbaugh's diamonds, said business has been great. He sent out a flyer before the holidays this year so customers who did not feel comfortable going inside the store could still browse everything the shop has to offer. He said the flyer was very successful, particularly because it showed a wide price range.
"We've got some top end, and we've got some pieces that are under $100," McGuire said. "People get caught up in thinking a jewelry store is all high end, but we have a lot of things to buy for under $100."
Angela Minglin, one of the owners of Minglin Jewelers, said the store has been so busy that they hired another employee. Minglin said this year has exceeded her expectations, and she has seen a lot of custom orders placed over the holiday.
"There are lots of custom orders this year, unique things," Minglin said. "People are thinking outside the box. 'I want to create this for her instead of just buying something.' That's been a lot of fun."
Another longtime local business, Annex Sports and Trophy Complex, faced supply issues throughout this year. Owner Brad Dean said he was pleasantly surprised that those issues have not slowed business down.
"We spend a certain amount of time each day tracking products from various suppliers from around the country," Dean said. "It has not been odd at all that we would have to go to four or five different warehouses around the country to gather the product together to fill just one particular order. The supply chain challenge has been pretty exhaustive to us, but nothing we haven't been able to handle."
Legacy Outfitters, a local shop attached to Black Dog Coffee, does not have to worry as much about supply chain issues because local artists keep the shop supplied with a steady stream of their work.
Legacy Outfitters owner Scott Johnson said it has not always been easy, but the shop's goal is to go from good to great. He said he is also happy with the community support toward the artists who display their work in the store.
"We've had our challenges with sickness," Johnson said. "We're struggling through, but we've still got the lights on. Overall it's been pretty good."
Jan Newton, who works in the shop, agreed that the community support has been integral to Legacy Outfitter's success.
"We've had a lot of people shop locally, and we really appreciate that," Newton said. "It's been a good Christmas for us. We've had local artists with a lot of gifts to showcase, and we have the best customers in the world."
