Small Business Saturday in Houston County

Hosted by the Perry Main Street Program and Perry Downtown Merchants Council, historic downtown Perry celebrated its fourth annual Small Business Saturday on the 24th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The national event is part of the Shop Small movement aimed to drive customers to shop locally throughout the United States.

The streets in Perry were busy with both automobile and foot traffic and many of the shops happily reported “great, steady business.” Offered by the PDMC (Perry Downtown Merchants Council), attendees could pick up a passport card at the Chamber of Commerce and get it stamped at participating shops for an entry into a drawing for a chance to win $300 “downtown dollars.” Stamps from at least 12 businesses were required but no purchase was necessary to enter the contest.

Melissa Estrada, owner of The Preppy Pink Pineapple on Ball Street and daughter/employee, Santana Estrada said that the foot traffic in their shop had been “nonstop since 9 a.m.” In addition to a successful Black Friday promotion the day prior, they stated that Small Business Saturday was “going really well” and explained that their items were unique and handmade, mostly by Melissa herself. “Perry Proud,” “Thank you for shopping small,” and similar signs were displayed inside and out.

Sugarplum Tree on Carroll Street was almost too crowded to maneuver through and in addition to a successful Saturday, pumpkin apparel was 50% off and they also offered a 30% Black Friday discount. Like numerous other small businesses throughout Perry, Gottwals Books displayed a “SHOP SMALL, SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY” poster in their front window, as well as a “Small Business Saturday Passport” sign. Two of a Kind displayed a “SHOP SMALL” chalkboard sign outside their front entrance and offered a free ornament with a $100 purchase.

With Christmas decorations lining many of the shops’ interiors and exteriors, Two Friends showed their holiday spirit by displaying two life-size nutcracker men on guard by their front door. The Daisy Patch Flowers Florist and Gift Shop on Macon Road offers worldwide service and was busy receiving and delivering weekend orders. The Sports Center Catalog Showroom on Sam Nunn Boulevard was experiencing great customer traffic as well and offered a red tag “Christmas Extravaganza” sale.

Businesses in Warner Robins, like Outdoor Options on Watson Boulevard, also participated in the weekend sales events. Terri Jane Webb discussed their Black Friday deals that included up to $500 off select pre-owned buildings, $1,000 off playhouses, free delivery and set up, a free charcoal/gas combo grill giveaway, and more. She said, “We’ve had a lot of people inquire. Most customers are amazed with the ‘Handi-house’ quality of buildings that we sell.” Regarding advice to customers, she continued, “Always compare apples to apples. Our quality is very different than a lot of other manufacturers because we meet many of the Florida building codes,” referring to high winds and other weather conditions. Local residents, Brooke Nation and Howard Benford took advantage of the weekend bargains by finalizing a new family playhouse purchase Saturday morning.

Turner’s Fine Furniture on Highway 96 and Houston Lake Boulevard participated in the sale weekend with numerous deals and offers, in addition to their Grand Opening promotions. Many items were discounted and they offered four-year 0% APR financing, along with a raffle to win up to $10,000 in free furniture. Sales associate and designer Charlie Fountain explained that 28 guests’ names would be chosen for giveaways as well. She said the weekend was “going great; we’ve had a lot of traffic and great sales. We stay pretty steady. We are very accommodating for guests and are open seven days a week.”

Employee Cynthia Malone explained that Turner’s Fine Furniture is celebrating 103 years as a family-owned business, and this fourth generation Warner Robins location just opened their doors for the first time on October 3rd as the 11th store. Manager Scott Schubert said, “We have great guests. We are so happy to be able to fulfill their furniture needs.”