ORLANDO, Fla. – In a bid to accommodate the influx of shoppers, Rare Earth in Ivanhoe Village is extending its hours this Saturday. According to Angela Schwonek, this weekend typically sees a surge in sales, with nearly triple the usual transactions.
“We’re opening early today because we know the streets will be bustling with people,” Schwonek explained.
Meanwhile, over in Audubon Park on Corrine Drive, Hellcats USA is experiencing a similar uptick in business. Co-founder Clark Orr notes the neighborhood’s rapid growth.
“In just three and a half years at our previous location, especially over the last year, we’ve noticed a significant rise in visitors to the area,” Orr shared.
Both Brittany Reagan and Orr, co-owners of Hellcats USA, acknowledge that this weekend signals the onset of the bustling holiday shopping season.
“Unlike big box stores, we truly celebrate every sale and every milestone we achieve,” Reagan stated enthusiastically.
A record 186.9 million people are expected to shop from now through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insight Analytics. But several small businesses say they can’t slash prices by 40% or more like big box retailers.
“It is so hard to do huge discounts because that actually hurts our business. We try to do something nice for the customers and hope they understand,” Reagan said.
Small business owners also point to tariffs causing challenges this year.
“There are a few products that we just haven’t been able to order because we’d have to raise the price so much, and we don’t want to do that. We try to keep a good base range,” Reagan said.
It’s why many are leaning heavily on social media and even opening on Sunday to give customers more time to shop.
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