July 13, 2011
Vol 13 No 28
November 26, 2014
Not banking on Black Friday Recipes
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Brighten Holiday Entertaining
Around Town
3
Special Section
4
School
8
United Services Receive Award
Photo by Brett Auten Aaron Taylor restocks a row of guitar strings at Mid Rivers Music in St. Peters.
Smaller businesses focus on the bigger picture By Brett Auten The cloud of commerce that is Black Friday is nearly upon us. Across the country the sound of cards swiping at retailers offering deals by the dozens will fill the media airwaves and socialmedia statuses. While Black Friday is a near shooin for the big box, corporate retailers, what does it mean to some of area’s small businesses? “It’s just another day for us,” John Sherwin, owner of Mid Rivers Music said. “Our shoppers start getting serious a few weeks before Christmas.” Mid Rivers Music has been a fixture for over 25 years and while Guitar Center in nearby Bridgeton has sent daily reminders to its customers via email (which is a growing trend among all major retailers) promoting Black Friday sales, Sherwin has taken more of the tortoise’s than the hare’s approach to the holiday season. “Music stores are different. They are more of an anomaly than most mom and pop stores,” he said. “We’ve had some early shoppers and people putting things on layaway.” Mid Rivers Music cashes in later in the year when last-minute stocking stuffers like guitar strings, tuners, and other accessories a musician on the shopping list could easily use. More expensive items like guitars, drum
sets, and keyboards fluctuate when it comes to purchasing time. According to the latest numbers released by Forbes, about a quarter of all consumers plan to have their shopping done before Black Friday, and almost half of shoppers started their holiday buying before November. On the other hand, 55-percent of Americans plan not to shop at all on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday. David Brewer opened up his St. Peters hardware store three years ago. Nestled on Jungermann between Highway 94 and Interstate 70 (where nearby Lowes and Home Depot reside), Brewer’s had, and still has, the challenge of drawing customers to a location where no hardware store existed before. To Brewer, Black Friday is more of an obligation than a day of sales to build around. “The margins are so small that it’s more of a headache than what it is worth,” he said. Brewer’s is a Tru Value affiliate and will offer and honor some nationwide deals the corporation will offer. Along with Black Friday, there is Small Business Saturday, another concept designed to jumpstart retailers into the holiday season. American Express launched the campaign in 2010 naming the Saturday after Black Friday “Small Business Saturday.” It’s billed as a win-win-win with consum-
ers getting discounts at participating small businesses when they use an Amex card. In return, retailers receive free TV advertising for the event and American Express has added more retailers that accept its cards. “I think that is a wonderful concept,” Brewer said. “I have just yet to find a way to make it fit with what we do.” Brewer’s has found success catering to niche consumers. Wine-and-beer -making supplies are among the top sellers for the store around this time of the year. See BLACK FRIDAY on page 2
Holiday Shopping Guide
Four From SCC Recognized
“Nightcrawler” photo courtesy of Bold Films
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