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“Instead of buying a $15 bottle of wine, maybe they’re buying a $10 bottle of wine,” he explained. “But we’re fortunate being in the food industry. As my mother always said, ‘Thank goodness you do what you do, because everyone has to eat.’”
And children need clothing, as well. That’s why Nancy Doyle, owner of The Nutshell, is cautiously staying the course at her business upstairs, at the Milton Marketplace.
“Our store is unique, and we’ve been here for 30 years, so we have a reputation and such a great following,” she said.
Her local niche in fine children’s clothing has proved a successful formula, so she decided last year to go out on a limb and open a new section of her store dealing with toys and children’s books, The Toy Box at The Nutshell. It has been an instant hit, and gives customers one more opportunity to spend their dollars locally. Doyle said her clients often bring their children with them to pick up a present on their way to a birthday party, rather than going out-of-town.
“I do have to admit that I was cautious in my buying about six months ago, because we were wondering [about] what’s going on with the economy,” she added. “My sense is that people are not going away for vacations, so we probably won’t be selling a lot of bathing suits in January.”
Similarly, The Gift Garden, just down the hall, at the Milton Marketplace, weathered a “different Christmas,” that, according to salesperson Anne Chase, has left some inventory that now adorns a sales table. Most retailers find themselves in similar circumstances.
“We have a lot of loyal customers that have remained loyal,” she said. “People are certainly price conscious, for sure, wanting a gift but wanting it to be a good price.”
But the store is now looking toward spring, unpacking boxes with splashes of color jumping out.
“We’ve brought in a lot of new spring things already,” Chase said. “The Vera Bradley [accessories line] brought in new spring colors early this year, so that’s been very popular and people are buying that already.”
While those bright colors might be a refreshing reminder that spring eventually must arrive, Blue Hill Power Equipment, at 940 Canton Ave., is reaping the benefits of all the flying snowflakes. Owner Steven Wells was so busy with the sales and service of snow blowers, he barely had time to chat.
“If you stop by when we open in the morning, there’s a line out the door,” he said.
Wells not only has seen his business flourish with the falling snow, but even the warmer months have been kind.
His business also deals in lawn-mower sales, and he has seen a steady rise in sales. He finds many customers have decided to get rid of landscaping companies that have cut their lawns, deciding to do the job themselves to save money.
Beautiful lawns are one thing, but personal beauty is a big commodity in East Milton Square. Many businesses deal with the upkeep of hair, nails and
body in the town’s main business district, and it appears that the women in town aren’t really skimping on treating themselves.
“People always want to look beautiful regardless of the economy,” said Stacy Winick, co-owner of Belle Visage, at 564 Adams St. “Maybe they are spreading their services out a little more, and we aren’t doing quite as many pedicures these days. That’s either because of the snow, or they aren’t going anywhere warm this winter.”
Melanie Martinous, of Mellie’s Hair Salon, at 376 Granite Ave., has seen clients spread their appointments out a little longer between haircuts, as well. But overall she sees the economy helping her business.
“A lot of people are giving up their Boston trips into Newbury Street and coming in locally,” she said. “People really like to support the local businesses. I think people realize how important it is to keep their money flowing into the local economy when stuff like this happens.”
One business that has always been very supportive of the town is Grono & Christie Jewelers, at 536 Adams St. Owners Bruce and Meryl Manin often donate to hospital-charity and school events, keeping that money spent locally benefiting local needs.
However, dealing in luxury items in this financial landscape is a challenge, so the store is holding a sale geared at clearing out inventory.
“We hope people will come out,” said Meryl Manin, as she organized the cases for the sale, “because people aren’t coming out, to be honest with you.”
The sale, which will see prices cut by up to 50 percent, ends Feb. 7.
The town’s other fine jeweler, Galatea, located at 60 Adams St. in Lower Mills, just finished running a sale. Owner Kai Armstrong has brought in accessories at different price points to offer customers a variety of quality items, not just expensive jewelry.
“I added some items in the lower-priced end, like handbags and sterling and vermeil, but that are still high quality,” Armstrong said.
Her third-floor location makes her store a little hard to find, which is a bit of an onus in the current market. She has been in negotiations with the town over allowing her to put out a sandwich-type advertising sign on the sidewalk in Lower Mills.
“As far as being an independently owned business in a tough time, we hope we get support from the town, and we hope people will shop locally,” she said prior to the Selectmen’s Jan. 22 decision to allow a temporary sandwich board for the building’s upstairs tenants. “I try to support everybody in town, and
I think people are thinking locally instead of hitting the mall.”
As those people walk the streets locally, it isn’t uncommon to see them dressed in sweats and sneakers. That’s because they have either just finished or are heading in to Fitness Unlimited. The all-women’s health club has been in its location at 364 Granite Ave. since 1980 and has a large presence in the square.
“We’ve been doing pretty good so far,” said Cindy McCarthy, assistant manager. “We do have people coming in to cancel their membership for financial reasons, if they’ve been laid-off or their husband has been laid-off. We’ve been seeing more of that. But we still have people coming in and signing up, which is good.”
One of the newer businesses in town is not faring quite so well. Glory Daze, the consignment shop at 558 Adams St. that brought a fun fashion flare to the square, has seen its business drop by 50 percent compared to last year.
Owner Kathleen Kechejian, who was a neophyte to retailing, has been in business for about two years, and in that time her store has had to endure a fire that closed her business for a period, as well as the economy, which is now taking its toll.
“I think as a business owner, I think I’ve gone through everything that a business can,” she said. “And now, the malls and stores are having incredible sales, so even my regular customers aren’t coming in.”
One thing she is grateful for is the support of neighboring businesses, who were welcoming when she first opened.
“What I find is a lot of people shop as a pastime, and I don’t think that many people are shopping right now,” she explained. “I’m crossing my fingers. Right now I’m just holding on, but I’m not experienced, so I don’t know how long I’m supposed to.”
But in the same breath, she remembered the atmosphere after the fire.
“One thing about Milton, everybody rallies.
They want you to do well,” she added. “It’s got to start going up.”