Local shops get creative for holiday shopping season

Many La Cañada business owners sighed with relief this holiday season as consumer spending improved and the economy had its fastest-growing quarter in a decade.

But the economic upswing has only held some local businesses steady this December. La Cañada shops have always had to compete with the bustling business centers in Pasadena and Glendale for their biggest sales month of the year, and the Internet has added another contender to the battle for Christmas shoppers.

“La Cañada is considered a bedroom community, so it’s not necessarily a destination for shopping,” said Pat Anderson, president and chief executive of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce. “It’s been an issue since the early, early days of our community.”

But local sales create opportunities for local jobs, plus about $2.5 million each year in city sales tax revenue, up from about $1.8 million in 2004. Anderson said she has seen more interest in shopping locally in the last decade, but with other convenient options, the increase is not drastic.

“Yes there is more shopping locally, but there is also more shopping online,” Anderson said. “It translates into slightly improved retail environment, but it’s not what we are aiming for.”

The local businesses that have managed to keep up say that they have had to get creative.

Christina Lee opened Button Nose Pet Shop three years ago, but this year she added pet grooming to the shop’s repertoire because “you can’t groom online,” she said. She said she’s seen many businesses open and close within a year in the community.

“You can’t fight with the big companies’ prices so I just do what I can do, which is customer service,” Lee said. “I keep good quality treats and toys and treat all my customers like family.”

A short distance away on Foothill Boulevard is Stephanie’s Gallery and Custom Framing, where owner Linda Stepanian has tried to find a niche in the art world.

Most of Stepanian’s customers are not local. They come from all over Southern California, usually as referrals.

She said that this year, like the past several years, there has not been a big holiday rush. Stepanian said that means she can’t afford to turn away to clients.

“We just work very hard to stay in business,” Stepanian said. “If we’re struggling, we work seven days a week. We work harder.”

Despite the Internet’s convenience for shoppers, the local bookstores, La Cañada Books and Toys owned by Uma Shrivastava, and Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse, owned by Peter Wannier, see more purposeful local support. Both owners said they were keeping with revenue goals this season.

Don Lamereaux and his daughter Lauren, 13, scoured Flintridge Bookstore on Tuesday for presents. Lamereaux said they make an effort to shop in La Cañada during the holiday season.

“We came here because we want to support our local bookstore,” Lamereaux said. “We always make an effort to shop here when we can.”

The businesses have also gone online as well. Lee, Stepanian, Shrivastava and Wannier all use social media, particularly Facebook, to bring people to their stores.

Both Flintridge Bookstore and Stephanie’s Gallery also offer online purchases.

Anderson encourages residents to try shopping nearby before they search on the computer or at large malls. If all else fails, she said, the superstores will still be there.