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This week’s edition of Business Leaders takes a look at a local mainstay getting a new home right here in our area.
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Wabash finds a new home 1B · Supporting small businesses through charity 4B Saturday, January 2, 2016 • Page 1B
Communities support local small businesses
Wabash spreads its wings
Spread the word. Word-of-mouth advertising is effective. A respected member of the community who shares a good experience with a local business may propel others to patronize the business. Speak up when you feel a business owner has provided an exceptional level of service. Recommend a company to friends and neighbors. You also may want to review a business via online rating websites such as Yelp or Angie’s List. Attend grand openings. Each community is unique, and often the vibe of a community is defined by the businesses that call that community home. Attend grand openings to show you are invested in the quality and vitality of your community. When others see a business doing well, they may be more inclined to shop there as well. Apply for work. Another way to support a local business is to work for one. Small local businesses employ millions of people across the country, and many foster great working environments. In addition, small businesses are known for their customer service, and employees often become experts in their products and services because of the hands-on experience they gain while working for small businesses. Supporting and celebrating local businesses can instill a sense of community pride and benefit the local economy.
For The Leader Owning a business is the goal of many would-be entrepreneurs. Being your own boss has certain perks, including making your own hours and not having to report to anyone but yourself. But owning a business is a lot of work, especially for new business owners trying to get their businesses off the ground. According to Bloomberg, eight out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within 18 months of opening their doors. The Small Business Association indicates the numbers are not so dire, saying 30 percent of new businesses fail in the first two years of operation; 50 percent during the first five years; and 66 percent during the first 10. Local businesses face an uphill battle to survive, but there are many things residents can do to support these valuable additions to their communities. Shop locally Shopping locally not only supports local businesses, but it also contributes to the local economy. Shopping locally keeps money in the community, which can benefit everyone. Shopping locally produces a trickledown effect, as local businesses that are thriving may patronize other local businesses, and so on. This, in turn, helps grow other businesses in the community, making it a nicer place to live and work.
Photo by Kim Hogstrom Owner of Wabash Feed and Garden Store, Betty Heacker, with everyone’s favorite Parrot, Chevis. The pair, along with the rest of their business, will soon be moving to a new home on North Shepherd.
After serving customers in the same location for nearly 30 years, local feed & garden store relocates to larger space By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader For nearly 30 years, Betty Heacker and her crew at Wabash Feed and Garden Store have been making friends and taking care of business on Washington Ave. in the Heights. It’s with great excitement, “and some fear,” added Heacker, that she and her troupe decided to move oneof-a-kind Wabash to the edge of Garden Oaks. Heacker’s business has simply outgrown the Washington property. The new store is located at 4537 North Shepherd Dr., sits on 1.75 acres, and hosts a 7,000-square-foot existing building, nearly twice the size of the 4,000 square feet the business currently occupies. Heacker will be adding even more space. When the new store opens in May, Wabash will have a livestock pavilion/barn, a greenhouse, indoor and outdoor gardens, a feed and soil loading dock,
and a rescued pet-adoption area. For those familiar with the business, have no fear, Heacker assures us that the classic, Wabash funky factor will remain. Guests will still be able to stroll the front porch, past the flowering cactus, the whimsical garden art and the giant, six-shooter-shaped, bar-b-que pit, and pull up a rocking chair. The new location’s inventory will also remain the same. Patrons will continue to find live, egg-laying chickens and geese, organic soil, high-end livestock and pet foods, funny gifts, farming and bee-keeping supplies and, yes, even cold, hand-crafted beer. However, there is a new feature at the North Shepherd store. Heacker is constructing an additional “community building” on the south side of the property. It will host no retail, but rather a demonstration kitchen, meeting tables and well-lit, ample parking.
“This building can be used even at night when the business is closed,” Heacker said. It is designed exactly for community use.” In recent years, there has been a ground swell of Houstonians interested in the health of our planet as well as their own diets. With that in mind, Heacker will extend an offer to local garden clubs, Urban Harvest, the Memorial Park Conservancy, the Houston Arboretum, the National Audubon Society and others to utilize the structure for meetings. “We will also hold beekeeping classes, pickling and canning classes; kids’ cooking demos; bread-making classes and more,” Heacker said. “Our objective is to help people learn many different ways to prepare what they have pulled out of out of the earth.” The move is provoking a new challenge: defining the Wabash brand. Heacker says
that the business grew “organically,” rather than by design. And while she has a logo - she jokes about having shirts with chickens on them - how does one actually define Wabash? Over the years, patrons have learned that they will laugh at the yard art, and long for the jars of local honey. Customers have come to expect the aromas of organic earth, ground grain and blooming flowers mingled with the sounds of quacking ducks, barking puppies, an occasional rooster, and one, very vocal parrot. Maybe it is hard to define Wabash because, as much as it is a store, Wabash is an experience. “We have sort of settled on ‘A bit of the country, in the heart of the city’,” Heacker said. The old property on Washington is slated to sell. Keep you eyes on The Leader for updates on the Wabash move, and news on the old location.
Contributed Photo Small businesses benefit communities by boosting the local economy.
Planning those best buys for the upcoming new year For The Leader Smart shopping involves making budget-friendly purchases. Never paying full price is a mantra shoppers can follow to help keep their finances in check. In addition to coupons and other discounts, shoppers can usually score deals based on which time of year they shop for particular items. Each year, various consumer resources offer advice on the best time to buy certain items. The beginning of the year is often an ideal time to purchase certain items. Consumers who take advantage of sales offered at the start of the new year can save substantial amounts of money. Now that the holiday season has passed, consumers can begin to find deals on items for themselves. • Clothing: Post-Christmas sales are booming, and stores are looking to sell what’s left of their inventories to make room for spring and summer selections. Even though the weather outside is still cold, sweaters, pants, coats, and more are usually available at a discount come January. It may take some digging through the racks,
but there’s an excellent chance to discover some great items. • Boats: Wintertime is boat show season, but it’s also the offseason for boaters who live in cooler climates. These factors combine to make it easier and less expensive to find a new boat. According to boat-buying retailer Boatline, consumers can probably get one of last year’s models at a good price. • Air conditioners: If the warmweather season was particularly steamy this past year, it might be time to revamp the HVAC system or invest in some new portable units. Bankrate offers that the first few months of the year are prime times to shop for air conditioners. While you may not get the latest model, it’s likely you can find a reliable unit at below-market cost. • Theater tickets: January and February are not especially busy seasons for theaters, which means there will be greater opportunity to get discounted seats for many popular shows. • Linens and bedding: John Wannamaker was a retail entrepreneur and had a few department stores in New York and Philadelphia. Wanna-
makers held the first Òwhite saleÓ in 1878, and since then many stores have continued the tradition. January is a great month to buy towels, sheets, bedspreads, and more at a discount. • Motorcycles: Riding a motorcycle is a fair-weather hobby, and retailers are aware of this. The easy riders of tomorrow might be able to find great deals today. • Video games: Those who haven’t purchased their fill of video games for the holidays can benefit from post-holiday drops in price. • Furniture: Many furniture manufacturers begin to churn out new inventory in February, so last season’s items will need to move quickly. Shoppers can often negotiate some good deals now and upgrade their homes’ decor. • Wedding-related services: Couples who don’t mind the chilly weather can enjoy steep savings by hosting their weddings in January. Spring and summer are by far the more popular seasons to tie the knot, Contributed Photo but reception halls, musical acts, florists, and other vendors may heavily A variety of items are often better buys after the Christmas rush rather than before. discount their services in winter.
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