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ECONOMIC INDICATORS 36 FINANCIAL CORNER 39 BUILDING PERMITS 41 PEOPLE IN BUSINESS 43 Business Monthly
SMALL BUSINESS
UNITING TO SHOP SMALL
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE FROM WHITEFISH TO POLSON JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY ON NOV. 28
T BY MOLLY PRIDDY
he holiday shopping season has nally descended upon the Flathead in full force, and the women behind the designs
and décor at Bestow Heart and Home in downtown Kalispell aren’t taking any chances with their preparations.
Megan Clark, Kris Clark, and Julie Croymans shut their doors for two busi- ness days to create the perfect holiday wonderland inside their shop, which cele- brated its rst anniversary in September.
It’s important to take the time to show customers how much their business means, the shop owners said, because at Bestow, becoming part of the downtown small business community is as much a part of the business plan as selling furni- ture and décor.
“When people come in, it’s not just about shopping,” Kris Clark said.
For small business owners every- where, holiday shopping is an integral piece of the nancial year. And on the Sat- urday after Thanksgiving, just one day after the wildness of Black Friday, other local businesses get their turn to shine during Small Business Saturday.
In the Flathead, the area’s diverse chambers of commerce, from White sh to Polson, have banded together to pro- mote one another for Small Business Saturday, in an e ort to highlight the industriousness and creativity of local merchants.
The chambers also want to focus on the communities that may not rst come to mind when thinking of retail centers, the hidden gems o the beaten path. In Evergreen, just a stone’s throw from Kalispell, chamber executive director Bev Ferris said the stores in her commu- nity o er excellent goods and services, but shoppers often forget they can nd them there.
“People are out shopping that day anyway, but we’re trying to get them to
Megan Clark applies an antiquing gel to a cabinet at Bestow Heart and Home in downtown Kalispell. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
remember there’s businesses in Ever- green,” Ferris said. “They can shop in our community, not have the congestion, and just make it a pleasant experience for them.”
Ferris said there are many businesses speci cally participating in Small Busi- ness Saturday, and there will be special promotions, discounts, and drawings held at the shops. They include: The Apple Barrel & Glacier Sun Winery; Barn Door Event Rentals; Encore Gallery & Gifts; FRANZ Bakery Outlet; The Hardware Store; Hooper’s Garden Center; LaSalle Lighting/The Light House; Los Capo- rales; Mark Weed Auto Sales; Park Side Credit Union; Perkins; Plant Land Gar- den Center; Powder Horn Trading Co.; Rudy’s Autosound; Snappy Sport Senter; and more.
In Lakeside, David Fetveit said it was an easy decision for the Lakeside-Somers Chamber of Commerce to join forces with the other chambers to promote local
businesses.
“We’re always looking to provide a val-
ue-added bene t to our members,” Fet- veit said. “We’ve asked all the businesses wanting to participate, and it might be as many as seven or eight.”
Those businesses include: Tina Jo’s Designs, Glacier Perks Co ee House, Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, Sliters, West Shore Community Library, Spinna- ker Casino, Bar & Grill, Remedies Lake- side, Henthorn & Associates, Tamarack Brewing Co., Farmhouse, and Seven.
At the other end of the lake, the Polson Chamber of Commerce is also on board, and manager Amber Pache- co-Holm said it’s a fun promotion, since each community o ers something just a little di erent.
“We’re trying to market this as a regional event, which is kind of cool. I think all of our communities have those little special stores that make us small town Montana,” she said. “Working
together, if one of us does well, we all do well.”
Shoppers in Polson will need to keep their eyes out for the chamber’s “Cash Mob,” whose members will be roaming the streets on Nov. 28 to hand out Cham- ber Bucks, which are gift certi cates that can be redeemed at Polson Cham- ber businesses.
There will be a similar promotion in downtown Kalispell, when the folks at Park Side Credit Union tip their hats to the area’s small businesses by randomly paying for parts of shoppers’ purchases.
Josh Kroll, vice president of marketing and development at Park Side, said it’s a fun way for the credit union to support local merchants while also making the day for customers.
And this year, the Park Side posse will reward random customers, not just those using the credit union’s services. Kroll
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