click-free shopping

by leigh macmillen hayes

It’s no secret that the global pandemic has changed us and how we go about life, including our shopping experiences. Supply chain issues and other limitations imposed by COVID 19 closed some small shops and forced others to develop creative solutions to keep their doors open.

Two years and what some days seems like a lifetime later, I asked a couple of local retailers how they’ve weathered the battle against e-commerce as so many consumers turned to the internet to fulfill their shopping needs.

At Full Circle Artisans’ Gallery, 12 Main Street in Cornish, owner Shannon Surette features the works of 85+ artisans so she had not only herself and employees to consider, but those craftspeople as well. At the beginning of the shutdown, Shannon went to the shop for a few hours several days a week to photograph merchandise to share via social media. She also improved her website. But that wasn’t the same as seeing customers in person or customers eyeing and touching the merchandise.

Jessica Jones, owner of Firefly Boutique, a women’s clothing, jewelry, and gift shop at 103 Main Street in Bridgton, says, “Since opening our doors twelve years ago, web sales have never been a big part of our sales, due to the tactile nature of the boutique business. During the shutdown we had time to improve and update the site, which provides a gateway to many unique offerings, but we have seen no significant increase or decrease on internet sales or traffic due to the pandemic. Most of our business is due to walk-in traffic.”

What both retailers learned is that it’s the small towns we live in and people’s needs after being socially isolated for so long that has helped their businesses survive. Interacting with other people and the products themselves is key.

The combination of people vacationing closer to home and the fact that many more people moved into the area also helped increase business for these shops.

“Interestingly enough,” says Jessica Jones, “we had one of our worst years and then one of our best during COVID. At first people were still uncomfortable getting out and negotiating stores, but they had simply reached their limit being cooped up inside and were feeling more confident with vaccinations so they decided to don their masks and take a risk. Some said ours was the first shop they had been in after a year and others waited two years before venturing out.”

“Business has kept its pace through the pandemic. At the beginning,” Shannon Surette says, “when we had to limit the number of people in the store even though it’s a wide-open space, that made it difficult.” She placed a sign on the sidewalk to let potential customers know they needed to wait to enter and sometimes she noticed they walked away and never returned.

People watching is something Shannon enjoys doing and she noticed that customers naturally follow the same route through the gallery so she didn’t need to use directional arrows to help them navigate.

“My store gives each customer a wonderful experience,” says Shannon. “Many say they get a great feeling when they walk in.”

Jessica agrees and comments, “There is an emotional component to buying that online transactions can’t satisfy. Often people come into the shop with a family member or friend and are sharing an experience that makes lasting memories. Whether it’s ‘Oh, I’d never wear that,’ or ‘I love this,’ customers are having fun interacting with the products and each other.”

One modification Jessica made came from the realization that because people weren’t going to the office, traveling or attending events like weddings, they no longer needed special occasion clothing, and so she began to offer more casual wear.

The availability of products and shipping delays has also been a challenge, but these two shops in particular have managed to deal with that hurdle.

Firefly Boutique continues to focus on carrying mainly American-made products. “When some shops were having difficulty getting products to fill their shops because they were made overseas,” Jessica says, “we noticed a pretty steady stream of availability within the small U.S. companies and clothing manufacturers we work with.”

Shannon notes that she acquired some artists from other galleries who, unfortunately, had no choice but to shut down. And perhaps because of the pandemic, she continued on page 27

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