North Texas City And Citizens Trying To Boost Small Businesses During Christmas Shopping Season
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - This holiday shopping season big box store stores are setting social distancing guidelines for in-store shopping and limiting hours.
Small businesses are also having to adjust.
"You see a lot of businesses that have gone under and a lot of businesses are struggling," Colleyville resident Danielle Cooper said.
Cooper said she is doing what she can to help those still standing and recommends others do, too.
"Try to make sure that when you do have the opportunity to give back and get out and maybe buy a few more things you wouldn't have bought before, you take that opportunity," she said.
It's what brought her to the small, locally-owned boutique, Austin Lorin.
The boutique, one of many locally-owned businesses now accepting the Colleyville Christmas Card.
The gift card amounts to $35 and was sent out by the city to all residents to be used at locally-owned business this holiday season.
Shoppers hand them over when they pay and the businesses redeem them through the city. They expire December 31.
"Everyone has just been really excited and we feel like business has been so good because of that," employee Cande Acosta said. "It's just free cash pretty much."
Acosta said she has has already redeemed quite a few and expects they will drive business in the weeks to come.
This year, because of the pandemic, the boutique expects a good portion of their sales will be made through their social media accounts or retail to-go.
"And we just launched our online website also, so really online sales and social media sales are what's really getting us through this time right now," employee McKenzie Michael said.
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