PEORIA (25News Now) – Small Business Saturday, typically one of the year’s biggest shopping days for businesses, saw mixed results for Peoria area retailers as a winter storm forced some closures while others remained open.
At So Chic Boutique, owner Sara O’Shea made the difficult decision to close on what is normally the store’s single biggest sales day of the year.
O’Shea said she spent days monitoring the weather forecast, hoping conditions would improve.
“It was heartbreaking to close, to be honest. I know without a doubt that it was the right decision to take care of our team and our customers and keep them safe,” O’Shea said.
Immediate major financial loss
The closure resulted in immediate financial losses for So Chic Boutique.
O’Shea said the store lost approximately 15% of its overall November sales in that single day.
Despite the closure, customers continued to support the business through online shopping.
So Chic Boutique also held a “Small Business Sunday” event to help compensate for the lost Saturday sales.
“People really came out, whether it was online or in the stores, and they showed their support in other ways,” O’Shea said.
No snow day for some businesses
Not all local retailers closed their doors. In Junction City, Bushwhacker owner Rich Pestien kept his store open throughout the storm.
“We keep the store open. I’ve never closed for snow. I’ve skied for two or three miles to get to the store in the past, but never closed it,” Pestien said.
Pestien said business started slowly but picked up as road conditions improved and customers began venturing out.
“The first hour didn’t get anybody, but then people started coming in. Not as busy as it was last year without the snow, but yeah, we did OK and had enough people wandering around,” Pestien said.
Both business owners said there is still plenty of time for shoppers to support local businesses in the weeks leading up to Christmas, regardless of weather conditions.
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