KUTZTOWN, Pa. – How much does Small Business Saturday mean to Kutztown?
In 2020, everything.
“This is it,” said Joanne Lapic, owner of Paisley & Co. Body and Bath Shop.
The day-after-Black Friday tradition will look much different this year due to the pandemic. Small business shoppers in the borough may be perusing places like Firefly Book Store on East Main Street. To make them feel safe, co-owner Matthew Williams offers sanitizing stations and other virus-killing measures.
“We’re doing solid cleaning every single night,” Williams said.
Cleaning or not, they know not everybody is going to risk going out. So they’re encouraging customers to shop with them online.
“We’re offering free local shipping through our website,” Williams said.
Buying books online is pretty straightforward, but when it comes to candles and soaps, it’s a little more complicated since you can’t smell-test them through your computer. That’s why Paisley &Co. developed a pick-up and ordering window so they can bring the products out to you to test without you having to enter the store.
“I think that’s necessary, is to be innovative,” Lapic said.
This will be Lapic’s 18th Christmas as the store’s owner. She’s also doing online orders, but the window should still help in-person shoppers sniff out a good gift.
“It’s a whole new ball game, it really is,” Lapic said.
Her Christmas wish is that Christmas will save the small.
“We’re counting on it, we’re hoping,” Lapic said.
