POULSBO – The doors to the nation’s two largest retailers might have opened in Poulsbo, but local independent business owners aren’t about to roll over and die.
The Poulsbo-area retail community is taking stock and acknowledging it has big changes in its future. But some can see possible benefits as the big newcomers lure more shoppers to the area.
Like a storm on the horizon, retailers have seen the clouds coming for more than two years and now a Home Depot and Wal-Mart Supercenter have opened in the city’s massive College Marketplace development.
Small business owners say they’re ready and hopeful that the influx of shoppers will be a benefit to them, but all know there’s work to be done.
Caron Guilfoyle owns Caron’s, a nautical-themed home decor shop in the city’s historic downtown.
“We have to work hard to get people to recognize what we have downtown,” she said.
With the arrival of the retail giants, she said hers and other local businesses will have to keep up their relationships with longtime customers, and offer them something they’ll never find at the Wal-Marts of the world.
“We try really hard to find things you can’t find at Wal-Mart,” she said.
The winter months after the holidays are always slow for retailers, and it could be compounded this year for small shops as curious shoppers go to check out the big box stores, said Liberty Bay Books owner Suzanne Droppert.
She said the city’s approval of the development wasn’t the right move for the city.
“Downtown Poulsbo is the reason tourists and other people come to town,” Droppert said.
In all the years the city invested in the battle to get College Marketplace, also known as Olhava, off the ground, it could have been investing in the downtown core, including a major sticking point – parking, she said.
The large development at the intersection of Highways 3 and 305 has been an issue of contention for more than 14 years. Initially it was opposed because it was a former Nike missile site, and later a legal battle was waged to keep Wal-Mart out.
Now that the first two stores have opened, Droppert fears it will draw people away from her downtown business.
“I don’t even have the opportunity for the sale,” she said.
She’s grateful for her loyal, longtime shoppers and will rely on them for continued support.
Loyalty is a big word among local business owners, and Gail Chafe knows it.
“That loyalty is more important than prices,” she said.
She founded www.shoplocalbiz.com, a Web site that features small Poulsbo-area businesses and helps them get the word out about their stores, especially on the Internet.
“I think that’s what’s going to make our local businesses stand out,” she said.
At times like this, small businesses need to make sure they’re serving a need that can’t be met at the big-box stores and they need to excel in another area – customer service, she said.
The new stores are expected to affect not only downtown stores but shops along Highway 305 and Viking Avenue.
One shopping district mentioned often in casual conversation is Poulsbo Village on Highway 305, and one store that comes up is the Coast Do It Best Hardware.
Manager Darlene Towner said she isn’t really worried about the Home Depot opening. Each store sends people to the others because they offer different products.
“Customer service is where we’re going to win,” she said.
Towner feels it’s even good for Poulsbo to have a Wal-Mart so people on lower and fixed incomes can have a place to shop for cheaper commodities.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
