Local Shops Keep it Low-Key After Thanksgiving

The owners of Ficus & Fig didn't lose a minute of sleep or family time for Black Friday. Unlike the big-box retailers that shadow their small, local shop, they didn't have shoppers encamped outside their front doors nor an endless line of harried customers fighting their way to the register.

That's exactly how they like it.

"We don't try to compete with the big-box stores," said owner Karen Lewis.

By her assessment, the ever-earlier opening times and aggressive sales tactics of larger counterparts is "kind of sad." Though they did offer some holiday sales in honor of the occasion, Barker and Lewis opened at the usual time on Friday and kept it low-key.

Likewise with fellow locals, such as Zida Fashion Accessories and , the recently opened independent bookseller. Instead, they're putting their energies into Small Business Saturday, a new nationwide alternative to Black Friday bonanzas. The event debuted in November 2010. 

Rather than going head-to-head against a mark-down happy behemoth, owners of the few local stores in Burnsville say they have to offer one-of-a-kind items and personalized services to survive.

To stay on top, Ficus & Fig carries a diverse inventory of bath items, kitchenware, toys, home decor and games for kids. Their suppliers are often obscure, offering hard-to-find finely crafted goods.

"If they pick up a line we carry, we drop it immediately," owner Kelly Barker said of the big-box stores.

Likewise at Zida, where owners Machele Baird and Kelly Bray are always scouring suppliers' wares for new and different items. The store carries earrings, handbags and scarves handpciked by Baird and Bray. Recently, Zida expanded into homewares. Customers kept asking if the displays they set up were for sale. After many inquiries, the two decided it might be best to sell the trappings, too. To stay one step ahead of the likes of Target and Kohl's, the two also offer consultations to customers seeking advice on home decorating.

So far, the strategy has worked. Zida is coming up on its fifth anniversary. Ficus & Fig is working on its eighth. Both enjoy bases of loyal customers.

It's a hard-won fight. The last decade hasn't been altogether hospitable for independent retail in Burnsville. Barker and Lewis have observed a handful of local stories close in the last few years, saying they've seen similar trends in neighboring communities such as Apple Valley and Lakeville, where once Ficus & Fig had a large field of local competition.

This perception is borne out by statistics kept by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. According to quarterly records, the number of retail establishments in Burnsville fell from a high of 387 in the first quarter of 2006 to 338 at the same time in 2010—a decline of almost 13 percent.

Local business owners are hoping for a comeback this year. Business has been good so far this holiday season, said owners at Zida, Ficus & Fig and BooksMn — and it could be that the recession-era doldrums are finally on the wane.

Their hope? That the weather will be better this Saturday than last year, when blizzards kept shoppers away.