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Sagging Economy Not Preventing Some Businesses From Opening Uptown
February 25, 2009
By FELICIA KITZMILLER
Index-Journal staff writter
Greenwood, SC - It seems like a counter intuitive time to be starting a business in Greenwood, or anywhere, but several owners of new businesses say they are confident the risk will pay off.
Many new Greenwood businesses have opened their doors in recent months, or are planning to do so soon, even as others are falling victim to the sagging economy.
“As large chain stores are closing, it opens up new opportunities for small businesses like restaurants and boutiques,” said Angie Jones, manager of Uptown Greenwood Development Corp.
Jeff Smith, director of communications and small business at Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce, said he was not expecting new businesses to pop up during these economic times, but he isn’t surprised either.
“You have to get into the mind of an entrepreneur. They are more focused on their vision than the prevailing economic winds,” Smith said.
Many new business owners said they think their establishments will succeed because they are unique and fill a void in the community. Debra Mojarro, along with her husband Polo, owns and operates Polo’s Restaurant, which opened Feb. 12 on Main Street. |
Polo Mojarro stands in the dining area of Polo Restauant in Greenwood where he is not only the owner, but also the executive chef. (Staff photo by T.M. James) |
Debra said the Greenwood community greeted her and her family and their business enthusiastically in their opening days, and she is confident the business will be successful.
“We had a nice crowd in, and everyone was very welcoming,” she said.
The restaurant features an eclectic menu, fresh ingredients and entrees that can be endlessly customized, Debra said.
“We just wanted to give people an opportunity to take a break from chain restaurants,” she said. “People still want to reward themselves.”
Still, Debra and Polo are making some adjustments to ensure the success of their business while their customers are watching their wallets. Debra said they have reduced some of the menu prices, and are offering a number of “half-plate” portions.
Even after closing a previous restaurant in Greer, opening a new restaurant was never a question, even though the economy is uncertain, she said.
“We’ve been at this for so many years I don’t think we would want to do anything else,” Debra said.
Howard Corley, who on Tuesday opened his new deli-style eatery, Howard’s on Main, said he is confident his establishment won’t be like anything else in town and has no hesitations about opening in a sluggish economy.
“If I was worried, I would have never done it,” he said.
Corley said he planned on focusing on fresh, quality products and an extraordinary attentiveness to service to draw people in.
“Everything we do here will be fresh,” he said.
By targeting demographics in Greenwood that are typically overlooked, such as Lander students and professionals from the local medical and legal communities, he said he hoped the deli will carve out a nitch.
“I’m no competition with anyone in town,” he said.
And at the very least, Corley said everyone would want to try the “new place” and that tide would last for about six months. By that time, the economy might have turned around and his restaurant will have built a positive reputation.
Corley, who has been involved in the local business community for many years, said the economy goes in cycles and when it goes back up, he will be in a position to reap the benefits.
“This is not my first rodeo,” Corley said. “The economy is going to rebound, and when it does, I see our business growing with it.”
If anything, Corley said he has seen a benefit from starting his business during a sluggish economy because he has been able to hire high-quality employees.
“These are high-level people, and they really want it,” Corley said.
Kimberly Thomasson, who plans to debut her new shoes and accessories boutique in Uptown in mid-March, said she is also seeing some benefits to starting a business in an economic slowdown.
Some suppliers are offering deep discounts to retailers, and Thomasson said she can only assume this is because of the economy.
“Everything I’ve read says that small businesses that start in a tight time are better off in the long run,” Thomasson said. “If you start off pinching pennies, you know how to when you have to.”
Thomasson, who was raised in Abbeville, said she has been watching Uptown Greenwood grow and decided this was an ideal time to invest in its development.
“I feel like it is a real unique place to be on the ground floor of,” she said. “I feel like it’s still growing ... and it’s fueled by the hospital and that’s an industry that’s continuing to grow,” she said.
Like the Mojarros and Corley, Thomasson said her boutique, Blossom Shoes and Such, will be unlike anything else in Greenwood. She plans to offer designer shoes, handbags and jewelry, as well as wedding accessories. Plus, Thomasson said shoes are a staple fashion item, and because shoe styles don’t change as often as clothing styles do, they are long-lasting investments that can update a wardrobe without spending a fortune.
“When the going gets tough, the tough buy shoes,” she said laughing.
Thomasson said she is looking forward to overcoming any challenge the economy might present.
“I think sometimes the opportunity (of starting a business in a recession) is that you have to be more creative,” she said.
Thomasson said she and Sugar owner Sandi McClain are hoping to coordinate some events together, and she is planning some fun after-hours shopping opportunities, cocktail parties and other upbeat events that will draw people in.
Taco Loco manager, Lany Sulsona, who opened the restaurant with her mother two months ago, said business has been good and is only continuing to grow, but it has taken some leg work. Sulsona said they have done a lot of advertising, given out coupons and distributed menus to local businesses.
The decision to open while the economy was sliding was not an easy one, though. Sulsona said her mother had been waiting for the building on Edgefield Street to become available for more than a year, and when it finally did, the economy was faltering.
“That was a risk,” she said. “We thought about it.”
But the other side of the argument proved to be more compelling.
“No matter how messed up the economy is, people still have to eat. There are still lunch breaks,” Sulsona said.
Like Corley, Sulsona said she thinks the economy will turn around, and when it does, Taco Loco will be poised to reap the benefits. In the meantime, she said she is working hard and keeping an upbeat attitude.
“If you think high and set your goals just really, really high, you’ll make it. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said.
It was the opening of another business, Sykes Enterprises, a telemarketing company that has set up shop in the Greenwood Mall, that created the nitch Chill-N-Grill owner Pattie Riley is looking to fill.
The tropical-themed fast food hut serves quick meals, such as burgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken. Riley said Sykes employees are her primary customer base.
“Sykes made a request of the mall to have a certain number of food places,” Riley said, because employees have a limited amount of time to get food and get back to work.
The primary competition for these workers is Chick-fil-A, but Riley said she is competing with the well-known chain by catering specifically to Sykes employees by offering screw-top bottled drinks, quick snacks, gum and other conveniences. She said she has even installed a fax machine so employees can fax over their orders for faster service.
The hardest part of getting the restaurant up and going was getting credit from a bank.
“It’s a struggle to make it work because you don’t have working capital. You have to get by day to day,” she said.
Riley described opening a business in this economy as a double-edged sword because, while it is hard to get up and going, everyone she has talked to and everything she has read has said that if a start-up can survive opening in a bad economy, it is bound to succeed.
“It’s a risk, but sometimes the biggest reward comes from taking the biggest risk,” she said.
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