NEW ORLEANS — As the holiday quickly approaches local small retailers are banking on your last-minute Christmas cash.
Liz Maute, owner of Lion Heart Prints on Magazine Street says her eclectic store filled with holiday trinkets and handmade greeting cards gets a lot of foot traffic during the season.
“People are getting thoughtful gifts,” she said. “For us, it’s all about the customer service experience.”
While Cynthia Wang was shopping, she told WWLTV, the experience is exactly why she shops locally.
“It seems like local shops they put more effort into their products,” said Wang.
Another last-minute shopper, Leroy Rogers, said he can find everything he needs for the holiday along the shopping stretch of Magazine.
“I just try not to shop online as much as I can honestly,” he said. “You get your stuff faster; you get better customer service and it’s like way better quality stuff.”
Although business at Lion Heart Prints has been steady, Maute, like many local small business owners have had to make some tough decisions. Earlier this year she downsized the number of employees and minimized her retail footprint by moving to a smaller location.
“I signed my lease seven years ago and the world was a different place,” she said. “We shopped differently seven years ago.”
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, small businesses are expected to have a tough season amid rising costs and consumers spending less money.
“Our price point is really low,” said Maute. “In order to pay people well I just needed to make it a much smaller team. It’s just much more manageable and I’m able to take better care of my people and my store.”
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