A poker run for shoppers?
O'Brien County shops team up for day-trip idea
By Jean Tennant, Journal correspondent | Posted: Monday, March 20, 2006
Cathy Sweet-Musch serves gourmet coffee, sandwiches and soups at Cup on the Corner in Hartley, Iowa. (Photo by Jean Tennant)
PRIMGHAR, Iowa -- Small business owners will tell you it's hard to compete with big chain stores. That's why a group of business owners in O'Brien County joined forces in hopes of attracting customers.
It's called a "Shop & Hop." The idea is to get customers to visit several stores over a period of time. There's a reward at the end.
Lori Sjaarda has operated Simply Brewed, a specialty coffee shop in Paullina, for 2 1/2 years. While Paullina has been supportive, Sjaarda recognizes the value of making the general public more aware of what small towns offer.
"I've known about quilt shop Hop & Shops, and they intrigued me," says Sjaarda. "And I was aware of poker runs for the guys. I thought this might be something for the women, something that they could enjoy, and at the same time promote the small shops in O'Brien County."
Sjaarda discussed the idea with Cathy Sweet-Musch, owner of Cup on the Corner in Hartley, a coffee shop that also features soups, sandwiches and gifts. Sweet-Musch agreed the idea had possibilities, and the two women brainstormed.
"We just wanted to get people into O'Brien County," says Sweet-Musch. "We thought that instead of plugging away at it ourselves, we could make more of an impression working as a group."
Sjaarda took their plan to Kiana Johnson, executive director of the O'Brien County Economic Development. Johnson linked the effort to other local businesses.
"I think this is a great opportunity for the businesses to get their names out there," says Johnson. "It will draw people to the stores, and I don't think it's likely that someone will do a day-trip alone. It's a fun event and people are going to do it with their friends."
The group of store owners came up with a catchy name: "Discover the Secrets: Day Trippin' Through O'Brien County." It runs Tuesday through April 1.
"It's going to give us some exposure to the other communities, and it'll be a good chance for people to come into our towns and see what we have," says Jackie Stoltz of Jackie's Floral in Hartley. "I wasn't really aware myself of what businesses some of the other small towns have, but since we started this, I've gotten to know a lot of them."
It gives the public an opportunity to learn these businesses hold much more than a name might imply. "We have gifts and accessories for the home in our store, and we're really more of a home decor business. If people stop in, they'll see that we have so much more than just furniture," says Rita Kruger of Muller's Furniture in Paullina.
The store owners have learned the importance of competing in an increasingly competitive market.
"With a small business today, it's a matter of survival," says Holly Bartz, owner of Holly's, a gift shop in Sheldon. "We just don't have the advertising budget that these big companies we have to compete with have, and when you're in the city everything you want is at your fingertips. What we try to give our customers is the special attention that they don't find in the bigger stores. I've actually gone outside and driven a customer's car up to the front door of my store. You do what you have to do. But if we can get them to come into our stores, that's half the battle."
The O'Brien County Economic Development office will send out fliers, and a copy of advertising promoting the businesses. The ads are to be cut from newspapers, then stamped at each business. Once an ad is stamped at each location, it will go into a drawing. Each business will draw one winner from ads left at their location. Each business is contributing a $50 gift or certificate, bringing the total of combined giveaways to $650.
"No one can survive alone," says Bartz. "One little gift shop out in the middle of a small town has a hard time, and I think we all need each other. We can all do well by helping each other."
Roster
Thirteen businesses registered for Shop & Hop. They include: Paullina -- Simply Brewed, Muller's Furniture, Memories on Main and Peg's Floral; Primghar -- Harvest Inn; Sanborn -- Paradox and Patty Cakes; Sutherland -- Menagerie and Bogenrief Studios; Sheldon -- Holly's; and Hartley -- Cup on the Corner, Jackie's Floral and Med-Equip Pharmacy.
It's called a "Shop & Hop." The idea is to get customers to visit several stores over a period of time. There's a reward at the end.
Lori Sjaarda has operated Simply Brewed, a specialty coffee shop in Paullina, for 2 1/2 years. While Paullina has been supportive, Sjaarda recognizes the value of making the general public more aware of what small towns offer.
"I've known about quilt shop Hop & Shops, and they intrigued me," says Sjaarda. "And I was aware of poker runs for the guys. I thought this might be something for the women, something that they could enjoy, and at the same time promote the small shops in O'Brien County."
Sjaarda discussed the idea with Cathy Sweet-Musch, owner of Cup on the Corner in Hartley, a coffee shop that also features soups, sandwiches and gifts. Sweet-Musch agreed the idea had possibilities, and the two women brainstormed.
"We just wanted to get people into O'Brien County," says Sweet-Musch. "We thought that instead of plugging away at it ourselves, we could make more of an impression working as a group."
Sjaarda took their plan to Kiana Johnson, executive director of the O'Brien County Economic Development. Johnson linked the effort to other local businesses.
"I think this is a great opportunity for the businesses to get their names out there," says Johnson. "It will draw people to the stores, and I don't think it's likely that someone will do a day-trip alone. It's a fun event and people are going to do it with their friends."
The group of store owners came up with a catchy name: "Discover the Secrets: Day Trippin' Through O'Brien County." It runs Tuesday through April 1.
"It's going to give us some exposure to the other communities, and it'll be a good chance for people to come into our towns and see what we have," says Jackie Stoltz of Jackie's Floral in Hartley. "I wasn't really aware myself of what businesses some of the other small towns have, but since we started this, I've gotten to know a lot of them."
It gives the public an opportunity to learn these businesses hold much more than a name might imply. "We have gifts and accessories for the home in our store, and we're really more of a home decor business. If people stop in, they'll see that we have so much more than just furniture," says Rita Kruger of Muller's Furniture in Paullina.
The store owners have learned the importance of competing in an increasingly competitive market.
"With a small business today, it's a matter of survival," says Holly Bartz, owner of Holly's, a gift shop in Sheldon. "We just don't have the advertising budget that these big companies we have to compete with have, and when you're in the city everything you want is at your fingertips. What we try to give our customers is the special attention that they don't find in the bigger stores. I've actually gone outside and driven a customer's car up to the front door of my store. You do what you have to do. But if we can get them to come into our stores, that's half the battle."
The O'Brien County Economic Development office will send out fliers, and a copy of advertising promoting the businesses. The ads are to be cut from newspapers, then stamped at each business. Once an ad is stamped at each location, it will go into a drawing. Each business will draw one winner from ads left at their location. Each business is contributing a $50 gift or certificate, bringing the total of combined giveaways to $650.
"No one can survive alone," says Bartz. "One little gift shop out in the middle of a small town has a hard time, and I think we all need each other. We can all do well by helping each other."
Roster
Thirteen businesses registered for Shop & Hop. They include: Paullina -- Simply Brewed, Muller's Furniture, Memories on Main and Peg's Floral; Primghar -- Harvest Inn; Sanborn -- Paradox and Patty Cakes; Sutherland -- Menagerie and Bogenrief Studios; Sheldon -- Holly's; and Hartley -- Cup on the Corner, Jackie's Floral and Med-Equip Pharmacy.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
