Saturday, November 24, 2012
A local, home-based entrepreneur offers affordable stocking stuffers for high school/college girl with school colors or cheering moms in the stands; also fun scarves to wear as coordinators or even for next holiday, while keeping warm.
Shannon Smith Cancila was inspired to start her business called Scarves by Shan from her Pinterest hobby of finding easy crafts, activities and recipes. "I only looked at them (Pinterest ideas) and saved them to a virtual board…that is until, I watched a link for a video that demonstrated how very easy it is to re-purpose T-shirts into beautiful, fun accessories," she told Patch. Because T-shirts are so soft, casual and comfortable, Cancila said it makes sense to lean them more to casual events, such as supporting sports team games or events—hence the school color choices for her products and their popularity. She produces three styles of scarves: "I never thought that having a business that I can do from home, and smile the entire time …
SHOP SMALL TODAY: Drop by Wines of Wildwood on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. to leverage Small Business Saturday.
Wines of Wildwood owners Karl and Cheri Hagnauer are eager to participate in the third annual Small Business Saturday initiated by American Express. They have several wines on sale, also carry Bissinger chocolate and offer free gift wrapping. As an extra bonus for Saturday's national business observation, American Express cardholders can register to receive a $25 rebate when they "shop small" on Nov. 24.
"Shopping local does not mean walling yourself off from the outside world, but it does require you to pause and consider what you can purchase close to home before making big shopping trips to the mall or large centers," Julie Wood.
Julie Wood, Eureka's director of economic development, noticed Eureka has a lot of organizations that raise money for the hungry, veterans and various other causes. "Small business owners are amongst the first who receive requests for donations for various fundraising events held by these organizations and area schools. I am amazed by their generosity," she said. "Time after time, they donate gift cards or products and services to make these events a success." Wood recommends everyone consider what Eureka and surrounding communities have to offer when making holiday lists. She said it is easy to spread holiday cheer this season by purchasing even just a few of those ‘wish list’ items close to home. "Not only will you be helping local …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Start holiday shopping at locally owned stores during Small Business Saturday. Old Town Eureka merchants lead the way.
Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 24 this year, two days after Thanksgiving. It is a day for everyone to support small businesses that help our community thrive. American Express founded the day in 2010 to help small businesses get exposure during the holiday season, when they might be otherwise overlooked. With retailers buzzing around the holidays, it is important to support local small businesses that rely on their neighbors to continue prospering and building the local economy in Eureka and Wildwood. "Eureka is filled with small business owners. I have seen a real movement of them banning together to strengthen their voice. Old Town Eureka is working on forming a business group to stay up-to-date on events and issues that they face," …
Monday, November 19, 2012
This West St. Louis County store is the fourth St. Louis area location for Appliance Discounters.
Appliance Discounters opened its fourth St. Louis location this month off Manchester Road in Ballwin. Located at 15425 Manchester Rd., the store sits in Ballwin Plaza. Owners Denise Bradley and Tony Slyman are brother and sister. They've been in business for three-and-a-half years in the St. Louis area. A ribbon cutting was held last week to officially welcome the store to West County. This new location is in addition to the company's Webster Groves, St. Charles and Arnold locations. Bradley tells Patch this new location is close to their homes and a strategic move. "We were kind of at every area in St. Louis and we felt like we had to come out here," Bradley said. "We just wanted to be out here because it's the right geographic area." The…
Saturday, November 17, 2012
This is "Boot Sale Weekend" at Heels, and the staff offers a Thanksgiving celebration for which customers save 25 percent to 40 percent. Check out the store on Small Business Day Nov. 24.
Launched by Rosemary Barry in Wildwood Town Center on March 28, 2008, Heels Boutique evolved from a shoes boutique to what's now fondly referred to as a “department store boutique." "We opened our doors during the height of the recession," said Barry. "What a scary time it was to open a business! We rethought our product mix and price point, and charged ahead." Barry said they now sell a little bit of everything, all at very affordable prices. "We strive to fill our store with unique products—we don’t want our customers to see themselves coming and going in Wildwood! You can stop into Heels, grab a great pair of jeans, a cute top, of course a wonderful pair of shoes, or a gift and head out the door ready for the evening—all in one stop!" …
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
As "Small Business Saturday" on Nov. 24 approaches, should the definition of "small business" go by number of employees, sales volume, assets, net profits or some other element in today's circumstances?
What currently constitutes a small business varies widely around the world. Small businesses were typically privately owned corporations, partnerships or sole proprietorships. However, in today's evolving business world at break-neck paces, more and more people are finding themselves in hybrid work situations that now also could be considered "small business" from some viewpoints. Donna Babbitt, chair of Business, Accounting and Social Sciences at St. Louis Community College-Wildwood, said the traditional principles of small business owners—agility, operating lean, anticipating next steps, reacting quickly and proactively adopting change—are extremely helpful business approaches, no matter what size of company in which one is operating. "…
Julie Brown Patton
7:39 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The 500-employee size definition for small businesses applies only to manufacturers, per an email received this morning from Michael Stamler, of the Small Business Administration after he saw this article. "The vast majority of business are in retail and service sectors, and have a much lower standard, one that is denominated by total revenues and not numbers of employees. That definition is … more ›