Kingsland touts small businesses with big shopping event Nov. 30
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
KINGSLAND — As Charlotte Dilworth made her way around Kingsland to spread the word about the upcoming Small Business Saturday, she remembered what made the lakeside community so wonderful.
“You forget how many neat shops are here in this town and community,” she said. “It was really a good reminder for me that you can find some truly unique things here. Things you can’t find if you go off somewhere else to shop.”
And that’s a big part of the reasons behind the Kingsland shopping event Nov. 30.
“This is a way for our local businesses to really highlight what they offer,” Amy Lescoe-Hall said. “I think a lot people would be surprised what Kingsland has to offer.”[box]IF YOU GO
WHAT: Small Business Saturday
WHEN: Nov. 30
WHERE: At various businesses around Kingsland and in the parking lot at the corner of RR 1431 and FM 2900 (10 a.m.-2 p.m.)
FOR MORE: Call (830) 798-5341[/box]
Both Dilworth and Lescoe-Hall believe in touting the benefits of shopping Kingsland. Each owns her own business (Dilworth has Kingsland Fitness, while Lesco-Hall has Kingsland Massage Depot) and understands the value of the community.
“I’ve been here, I think, five years, and I’m amazed about the amount of traffic we have,” Dilworth said. “When I go out and change the marquee in front of the (fitness) center, it’s incredible the number of cars going past compared to several years ago. And we need those folks to stop and shop here.”
So on Nov. 30, participating businesses are offering their “best-of-the-best” deals, Lescoe-Hall said.
Businesses without physical addresses also are getting involved by setting up booths in the parking lot at the corner of RR 1431 and FM 2900 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We have more than 20 businesses participating,” Dilworth said. “We’re asking people to be ready for the best deals of the year.”
Lescoe-Hall said, along with special deals, individual businesses might even offer enticements such as door prizes, coupons and gift certificates.
“The idea is really just to get people to not only think about shopping local but do it,” Dilworth said.
For a community such as Kingsland with limited major employers, small businesses serve as the backbone of the economy. Economic studies show money spent locally circulates several times within the same community before leaving. That means those funds pay employees, purchase local goods and contribute to the well-being of the area before heading to another area.
“Small businesses are really the heart of the community,” Dilworth said. “And we just want to celebrate them and encourage people to shop here in Kingsland.”
Call (830) 798-5341 for more information or to get involved.
“We want to make this an annual event,” Lescoe-Hall added.
daniel@thepicayune.com