|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Camaraderie, volunteers maintain Middleburg's mystique
The mystique of Middleburg is one that has business owners and town staff guessing at its beginnings, yet reveling in its effects.
The downtown business atmosphere consists of "hardworking, dedicated business owners that provide good-quality merchandise for good, valuable prices,” said Mayor Betsy Davis, who also co-owns The Fun Shop on Washington Street in Middleburg. She added that the atmosphere in turn draws people to shop in the area.
“Middleburg draws a lot of tourists who are shoppers,” said Ben Wegdam, owner of Creme de la Creme, Lou Lou's and Lou Lou's II in Middleburg. He also owns a Creme de la Creme and a Lou Lou's in Leesburg.
“[Business owners] want to be in Middleburg because it attracts a lot of tourists,” he said. “Middleburg has great stores that have really found their niche.”
Wegdam said his stores in Leesburg are doing just as well as the ones in Middleburg, but he said Leesburg's shopping area is scattered, whereas Middleburg keeps its commercial area in a cohesive location.
Davis said the town does not allow big-box and chain stores to locate in the downtown area, keeping the business district full of unique shops operated by local individuals.
“We are lucky to have that mix of a strong downtown and closeness,” Davis said. “Some towns expand too large.”
But the overriding factor Middleburg business owners see as the linchpin for keeping the character of Middleburg is the way business owners work with each other.
“There is a real camaraderie between the business owners,” said Lisa Iantosca, owner of Baileywyck Shoppes of Middleburg, which actually sits 1.5 miles outside the town limits.
“I get a lot of business by word of mouth, and business owners in town let me advertise in their store windows,” she said.
Helping each other seems to be the way with many business owners in Middleburg. Several shop owners said if a customer comes into their shop and they don't have what the customer is looking for, they send the person to another shop in town that might have the item.
“If I don't have room for someone at my bed and breakfast, I send them to the Red Fox Inn or other local places to stay,” said Jo Ann Hazard, owner of Middleburg Country Inn at 209 E. Washington St.
Hazard also is head of the Middleburg Business and Professional Association, an organization consisting of business owners who join together in marketing for town businesses.
“Middleburg people really look out for their own,” Hazard said. Events such as Christmas in Middleburg, Jump Into Spring and the Sidewalk Sale are examples of this because they bring out a large base of volunteers who help the businesses showcase the town and their stores' merchandise.
“There is a strong current of volunteerism that exists,” said Genie Ford, owner of Books and Crannies. “They come out and do things beyond their own doorstep.”
Ford also said the town staff is very supportive of the local business owners.
“They know that the businesses help them keep revenues up and taxes on residents down,” she said. “So they want a thriving business atmosphere.”
Cindy Pearson, economic development coordinator with the town, says the reason the 346 businesses in town work is because the business owners are “great ambassadors for each other.”
And it doesn't hurt that the town has hired its own public relations firm, Bendure Communication Inc., to promote the town and all it has to offer.
While the economy has strained businesses in Middleburg, a lot of owners said they have noticed a jump in both foot traffic and revenues in August.
Iantosca said her store, Baileywyck Shoppes of Middleburg, has had the best six months since opening two years ago, up 30 percent in sales.
Hazard said her inn has done very well this year. And from her position as head of MBPA, she said business owners in town were suffering some in June and July, when the gas prices hit an all-time high, but more people are coming back into town.
“Economics have made it hard for everybody, but it is hard on businesses everywhere,” Mayor Davis said. “We have seen a downturn in business but we know we will survive.”
Contact the reporter at lwolstenholme@timespapers.con
You must be logged in to post a comment.