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Several local business owners are grateful for their community and encourage all Georgetown residents and visitors to shop small this holiday season.
GET YOUR SHOPPING DONE EARLY. A LOT OF PLACES IN GEORGETOWN RUN ON LIMITED INVENTORY, SO ONCE WE ARE OUT, WE’RE OUT.
IT'S EASY TO GET THINGS SHIPPED TO YOUR DOOR, BUT GOING OUT AND SHOPPING IN PERSON, IN SHOPS TAILORED TO YOUR COMMUNITY IS NOT ONLY FUN BUT IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER TO SHOP IN GEORGETOWN, SO WHILE WE ARE GRATEFUL, I HOPE PEOPLE PREPARE TO DEAL WITH POTENTIAL CROWDS.
JEMME LYNN WILKS MIDDLE, OWNER OF LA BELLA CASA
LORALEE ST. JOHN LEFT, OWNER OF THE GOLF RANCH
SHAWNEE KUNZ RIGHT, OWNER OF THE KNITTING CUP
HUNTER TERRELLCOMMUNITY IMPACT
COURTESY THE GOLF RANCH
HUNTER TERRELLCOMMUNITY IMPACT
“It kept my employees happy, so when we opened back up, they were eager to return,” Wilks said. “Clos- ing my doors was a bit scary, but my loyal customers kept me going.” Why local matters Shopping small can help boost the local economy due to the way sales and use taxes are assigned, according to city ocials. “When you shop with us, you are putting money directly back into our commu- nity,” Kunz said. “You’re help- ing not only me but also our schools, police department, our roads and our library.” In Texas, sales and use taxes are collected by the retail busi- ness and sent to the Comptrol- ler’s Oce. The state retains 6.25% of the 8.25% tax and sends 2% back to the city. For online sales, the sales tax revenue is allocated back
Still, Georgetown busi- nesses incurred other costs as they adjusted operations and moved a percentage of their sales online. “It felt like as soon as we made a prot, it was going right back out to handle ship- ping costs,” Wilks said. As a result, some prices on products at La Bella Casa saw a minor increase, she said. “In order to keep my qual- ity products in store, I had to adjust some of my prices,” Wilks said. “However, we hit records [at the end of the year] last year, and I am hopeful we will do it again.” Many of these adjustments made as a result of the pan- demic are here to stay, as it has attracted new customers and opened additional revenue sources for the retailers. Kunz said she started doing unboxing videos and short how-tos to drive engage- ment and keep the knitting
to the city where the retailer is based, business owners said. Sales tax is projected to account for 28.46% of the city’s general fund budget for scal year 2022-23. The city’s sales tax revenue supports the general fund, transportation and street maintenance, eco- nomic development, and property tax relief. For example, the city has been able to pay for projects, such as the resurfacing and paving projects dispersed across Georgetown neighbor- hoods, which is solely funded by sales tax revenue, accord- ing to a city representative. “Shopping small and shopping local is critical to the success of the George- town economy,” Georgetown Downtown Development Manager KimMcAulie said. “When you shop local, you are helping to support and strengthen community
community involved. “Just about anyone can have a YouTube channel,” Kunz said. “The amount of new support I have seen in the past few years is really heart-touching.” Similarly, Estes said her team looked into other out- reach strategies. The book- store started online sales during the pandemic and con- tinues to oer online shop- ping with in-store pickup. Estes said since reintro- ducing its book clubs, author events and other in-per- son gatherings, community engagement has been at an all-time high. “People are so happy to be back in public and around people again,” Estes said. “We hope this sense of community continues to grow.”
vibrancy. We are so fortu- nate to have a large amount of small, locally owned busi- nesses in Georgetown that help make our community really unique and special.” Several local business owners encouraged holiday shoppers to enjoy time with their family, in their commu- nity and to continue shop- ping small. “I hope to have as good of a holiday season as we did last year,” Wilks said. “This city is lled with charming, wonderful people, and l only hope to meet as many of them as I can.” Pivoting for the future Local business owners said the challenges with supply chain, in¢ation and labor shortages that plagued much of the state and nation during the economic recovery from the pandemic did not hinder their operations.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com.
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GEORGETOWN EDITION • NOVEMBER 2022
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