Small, Locally Owned Business Busy As People Buy Gifts For Christmas

Small and locally owned businesses are busy this week as people are out shopping for Christmas gifts. 

Business owners say it can be tough to compete with big commercial stores.

"The art of giving a good gift is a beautiful thing, right?" said Angelene Wright with Ida Red General Store. 

For Angelene Wright, finding something unique is what makes gift-giving so special.

Angelene owns Ida Red General Store and says it's stores like hers that make Tulsa so wonderful.

"You can't get that kind of feeling or experience like you can when you come in here and shop local," she said.

She says this year has been a little less busy than years past, but she's grateful for everyone who chooses to shop locally because it's what keeps her store open.  

"I know that money is a little bit tight for people and groceries have gone up, and things like that, and you have choices where you are going to spend your money, and when people choose to shop local, it means a lot," she said.

Over in Broken Arrow, Scottie Lawrence just opened the third Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. in the area.

She says they've seen less traffic this year, too. 

She relies on the income from the month of December to carry them through the entire year. 

"When a small business does not have a good final month, their first quarter of a year can be really difficult, and we see a lot of issues happen during that time," she said.

It's hard to compete with big commercial stores, but she says they do their best. 

She says all of the products at Magnolia Soap are made right in front of you, so you know what products are being used. 

When people shop locally, she says the money goes back into the community. 

"It's not always convenient to shop local, but it's very important to support your friends, family and fellow business owners because the money stays locally here, and it matters to those families who own those businesses," she said.

She says while they have seen less traffic in the store, they have seen an increase in online sales.