- Earl and Gray is a small-town business in Bennington
- The owner discusses her perspective as the holiday shopping season begins
- As a result, their small business is growing
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Think about where you do the bulk of your regular shopping. Is it online or an app? Maybe a national retailer with a 'smile' or a 'bullseye'?
It might surprise you to know 99.9% of businesses in our country are small businesses according to the SBA.
And last year, most of them brought in 65% of what they made all year during the holidays.
I'm Mary Nelson in Bennington where one small business owner is sharing her perspective as this holiday shopping season ramps up.
Depending on the tastemakers you follow Earl and Gray might feel like Instagram brought to life.
The store opened during the pandemic in September 2020.
“Our business kind of boomed.”
Abbie Niles says — people were staring more at their own décor and wanted a change. But since our spending habits have changed.
“The first holiday season that we had was amazing. The second and third weren't as good as the first. But I really feel in the last month or so, business has really picked up.”
They partner with other small businesses. One in Rosalie, Nebraska makes these candles.
“Gifting? Absolutely.”
Other shoppers are outfitting their holiday homes.
“One thing that's been really popular are the cow bells this year.”
What you see in the store now is something they started planning in January. An example of what it takes to own a business.
“There is a lot of small-town pride with Bennington. I couldn't ask for a better community to own a small business in. They really show up. They're very loyal.”
“But it's bigger than that. We're reaching other small towns. We're reaching Omaha. People are coming in from Omaha, Papillion, Nebraska City, Sioux City, Iowa, a lot of those places to shop small and just experience that small town customer service.”
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