Struggling storefronts fight to stay afloat in the Tri-State

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — In recent months, you may have noticed more and more small businesses closing their doors for good. It’s something that’s happening across the Tri-State.

It’s happening from ‘Heady’s Pizza’ in Evansville, long-time family business ‘Clements Jeweler’ in Madisonville, to clothing boutique, ‘Flutter’ in Newburgh.

“I think it’s hard to find a solution to a problem that you don’t really know why it’s happening,” Heather Vaught, the owner of River City Coffee and Goods said.

It’s a problem being felt everywhere, but we start in the heart of Downtown Evansville where small businesses add to the charm of the River City.

“Most of what we do is promoting Evansville, the entire store was created simply based off the fact that I really love living here and I couldn’t find a shirt that said Evansville so I made one,” Vaught laughed.

Vaught opened River City Coffee & Goods eight years ago—a one-stop shop for a gift or a quick pick-me-up.

“This is the first year in eight years that we’ve actually seen a decrease in business,” Vaught explained.

She attributes the problem to a couple of things including neighborhood factors and the economy.

“It’s definitely scary. I’ve spent a lot of time on Main Street specifically and a lot of passion and honestly many years of like many business owners not getting paid at all running this business. It’s scary when you have property and you have staff and the staff is the most discouraging part to me because they depend on me to live,” Vaught said.

With hard times, come hard choices. Customers coming in for their favorite coffee may not be able to find it after two o’clock anymore. Vaught says a limited menu, that requires less manpower,  was a choice that had to be made.

“I don’t think it’s anything that any one of us is doing wrong, but I feel like I’m letting them down. And even the local makers that are selling stuff this is sometimes a significant part of their income. It just definitely has a domino effect. It’s not just me, not just our staff but people throughout our community and region and feeling the effects of our particular business being slow,” Vaught said.

Just a block down Main Street, you’ll find a quaint, quiet place where you can dive into your next favorite book.

Your Brother’s Bookstore has been open for almost three years and the owners are already considering moving to a new location because of factors out of their control.

“Main Street is struggling. It always feels like something can go wrong that’s going to put you out of business. Your sales can be fine but if they shut down a street then you’re done for. And that’s what happens to us. That’s what hurts us,” Adam Morris, the owner of Your Brother’s Bookstore said.

It’s the cost of progress as ‘The Vault on Main’ project continues at the site of the former 420 Main building.

“We love progress and we definitely want progress to continue and we want it to happen but we don’t want it to come at the cost of the small businesses on Main Street,” Morris explained.

According to the Small Business Administration, 99.9% of businesses in the United States are qualified as small. So there’s no doubt that help may be needed. Smack dab in the middle of these two businesses, you’ll find the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center. A free, confidential service designed to help business owners and dreamers with 1-1 counseling with business advisors, training and connections to resources.

“There’s this whole myriad and whole world of things that come along with putting a business with any hobby that you might have. So that’s where we come in. We help people understand, what are those fundamentals,” Dominic Poggi, the Regional Director, of Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center said.

This year alone, the SBDC has helped 37 businesses get started. With a goal of 23, the SBDC is well on its way to double that number before the year ends. While that stat is promising, Poggi and his team realize that not every business is in the same boat. He says marketing is one of the biggest issues clients struggle with.

“Every single person that walks in our door has a unique story. So, it’s really important that we meet people where they are, truly understand where they’re coming from, where they’re trying to go and then develop a plan to go forward,” Poggi said.

Poggi says it’s difficult to generalize one specific problem small businesses are facing because of their unique journeys, however, stressing the importance of shopping small is an easy one.

“You could buy one from Walmart or you could buy one from GaylaCake and guess how much of that money is going to stay here in our local economy versus when you go to spend it with that local baker versus Walmart,” Poggi explained.

“Not only is this how I make my living but it’s also my home. I own the building and a little place in the back and it’s where I live. So, if GaylaCake goes down, I not only lose my income but also my home. And that’s a very scary thought,” Gayla Bell, the owner of GaylaCake said.

GaylaCake, a Jacobsville staple for 11 years, has been hit with hard times following the Covid-19 pandemic. And making changes isn’t Bell’s first choice.

“Being in this neighborhood, which is a poverty ridden neighborhood, I wanted to keep my prices where people could come in and get their treats. With the down turn in the economy, raising prices is just a hard thing to do right now because none of us can afford it,” Bell said.

From letting employees go, cutting down on days open, to changing her business model completely – it’s been discouraging for Bell.

But she says there’s a sense of comfort knowing she’s not alone.

“I’ve had to do an extraordinary amount of pivoting over the past couple of years and just being the lone owner and making a lot of heavy decisions,” Bell said.

Including pulling back on the amount she can ‘give back.’ Need a gift card or gift basket for your organization’s next auction or annual event? Small business owners are usually on the other end of that ask. And Bell says she’s had to pull back on saying ‘yes.’

So who do you turn to when you’re out of ideas?

“So I call on the ISBDC, I have a business advisor, and she and I will talk through things but she doesn’t have all the answers either. She’s just an enormous encouragement to me. Other businesses don’t always have the answers. Opinions are everywhere and everybody will throw out some ideas but they’re not always going to work,” Bell said.

“I always like to be clear that we don’t have all the answers, we aren’t a silver bullet. And in fact, it’s not even our job to give you the answers. But what we’re here to do is to challenge you and help you think through things and arrive at decisions on your own but maybe with more informed or better data or more info to help you make a good decision based on what’s happening,” Poggi said.

There’s not one answer. But you can be part of the solution. Take the extra step and think about your favorite local shop.

“I think if people want to see Evansville grow and be more vibrant and have unique things and not just be a box store cookie cutter environment, spending your money at a local business is the only way to make that happen and continue,” Vaught said.

“Small business in general is crucial to a community. You know the business owners, you know where your money is going,” Morris said.

“Convenience is important to people. It’s important to me. But sometimes, even buying from a small business can be an act of kindness that not everyone gives but also I would say that the products that you get from those small businesses will be above and beyond what you will get at a big box store.” OR “We put our heart and soul into everything and I mean if you look at any of the downtown businesses or any of the businesses in Jacobsville or wherever they might be we all put our lives into this,” Bell said.

To learn more about the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, click here: https://isbdc.org/locations/southwest-indiana-sbdc/

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