Saxonburg business owners band together to succeed after Christmas
Saxonburg — For many business owners, the period after the Christmas holiday can be a struggle, with sales slowing and an increase in returns. But businesses on Main Street in Saxonburg have joined together to ensure foot traffic and sales continue throughout the months after the holidays and beyond.
On an unusually mild Saturday right after Christmas, there were quite a few shoppers on Main, taking in the sights and opening their wallets to make purchases. Sales brought many out, and even with a popular store temporarily closed for the holiday, business was mostly steady.
“Christmas was fantastic,” said Stacy Bell, owner of Stacy’s on Main. “The events we had, there were amazing turnouts and sales were great.”
Business was a little slow early Saturday, Dec. 28, but foot traffic was increasing throughout the day.
“You never know with after Christmas. I was open, it was steady, busy. A lot of businesses are holding sales, so that draws people to the area,” said Bell.
Foot traffic was a bit slow this weekend with the closing of Batch for the week.
“When Batch is closed, that sometimes limits the amount of people in the area,” said Bell.
A sign was in the window of the popular store Batch, explaining they were taking a bit of time to spend holidays with loved ones.
“We all need to recharge,” said Bell. “A lot of us have other jobs, plus our businesses,” said Bell, who in addition to owning Stacy’s on Main, is a school nurse.
Sherry Rankin, owner of the Saxonburg Tea Room on Main, is in the middle of her busy season, which runs from November through the end of May, with things slowing down for her in the summer.
“Our busy time is, I think, because it is colder, people are here, not on vacation and looking for things to do, and we hold some great events,” said Rankin.
Throughout the year, events are scheduled at the Tea Room for holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. They even have a special Galentine’s Day event. The events help to draw shoppers to the area, but Rankin and some other business owners felt they could do more. That is how Little Shops of Saxonburg came about.
“Myself and a few of the other Main Street businesses formed Little Shops of Saxonburg, and we run most of the events in town other than the big one on Main, which is run by Batch,” said Rankin.
Events organized by Little Shops of Saxonburg include the Christmas Open House, Sip and Shop, and the Winter Festival.
“We do that because we realized, the restaurants, they get foot traffic all the time. But the gift shops have less, and we need those events to bring people in to help our businesses stay together,” said Rankin.
Rankin, who has owned the Tea Room since January 2024, was the previous owner of 1832 Marketplace on Main, which she sold to a local vendor who sold items at the store. She also, along with some other local women business owners, the Butler County Women’s Alliance.
The hard work that Rankin and all of the other business owners along Main put into their shops is obvious. Rankin says it is out of love for the area.
“It’s the sweetest little town,” said Rankin. “We all say it is just like living in a Hallmark movie. And we get people from all over.”
That, said Rankin, is the goal.
“We want to help Main Street grow. So even after Christmas, I see us continuing to grow and market to the outside,” said Rankin.
