Retailers complain about lack of business

Is there any money left after Black Friday and Cyber Monday for the small retailer?

The answer is no if one follows the normal retail protocols.

So, what should the local businesses do to grab money from locals and tourists? Adjust the hours? Open longer to serve the skiers and outdoor people?

Be ready to help both the local and visitor find goods they are looking for their loved ones. So what if merchants extend hours to help meet their projected profits?

Annually, Nantucket has its first weekend in December as the “Christmas Stroll,” where the merchants open their stores and serve punch and tidbits to any and all who enter the store. The little stores are decorated to the hilt to welcome one and all to the island and to their shops.

This is what Lenox, Lee and Stockbridge should do: find a common idea and push the marketing to bring in those from Springfield, Hartford and Albany to the area.

This idea is not limited to this area; it can also be used in south and north county, with some idea to take our Berkshire natural beauty and market it to our visitors.

The Inquirer and Mirror newspaper on Nantucket reports:

“Christmas Stroll began in 1974 in large part to encourage Nantucketers to do their holiday shopping on-island following the construction of the Cape Cod Mall. Merchants also used the festive atmosphere of stroll to attract visitors in an otherwise slow-paced time of year before closing up shop for the season.

“Now in its 39th year, the annual Christmas Stroll has become much more than just a series of sales. Around 10,000 visitors have been coming to the island each stroll weekend in recent years to partake in the festivities, which range from caroling, theatrical performances and fine dining to a talking Christmas tree and the arrival of Santa by Coast Guard patrol boat.”

The Berkshires, with some intuitive thinking, can develop a plan to bring in tourists to benefit the bed-and-breakfasts, along with the commercial businesses.

Stockbridge has played the Norman Rockwell tune, along with The Red Lion Inn. Lee could promote its “Gateway to The Berkshires” with the Morgan House and its newly created Main Street. Then there is Lenox, which is sitting on a pot of gold waiting to be discovered not only by its merchants but the chamber of commerce, who annually seem only focused on the summer trade.

Pittsfield could move forward with its lights and the advent of snow along with Adams, North Adams and Williamstown. Great Barrington, the trade area for southern Berkshire County, excels in its own decorations and spirit annually.

Santa Claus is at the North Pole waiting for each town crier to signal that town is ready to behold its personality and goods for those who descend on the marketplace. Williamstown’s Spring Street comes to mind.

It is here for us. It only needs some leadership and an idea, along with goodwill. Merry Christmas to Mr. and Mrs. Merchant. Here is a chance to excel beyond the walls of your store.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on December 6, 2012. Filed under Editorials,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry