A few summers ago, there was a power outage that left many Lake Forest homeowners without electricity. Megan Stockton, owner of retail store Gifted, went into a nearby Starbucks.
“There was a line outside the door,” Stockton said. “Everyone kept coming in to charge their cell phones.”
Stockton walked back to Gifted, 225 E. Deerpath Road, and posted on Facebook that her store had power and people were welcome to stop by and charge their phones.
“In 15 minutes the store was packed,” Stockton said. “It was great for (the) community. It was also good for retail.”
Retailers in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff are challenged by big box stores, malls and increasingly online businesses during the holiday season. To compete, they have come up with different strategies including a focus on customer service and a push to diversify their offerings.
“All businesses need to reinvent, innovate and be nimble to be able to meet the latest trend in consumer preference,” said Joanna Rolek, executive director of the Lake Forest Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce.
Stockton sees websites such as Etsy – which sells crafts and art – as competition more than chain stores or even Amazon. To compete, she makes sophisticated use of social media. For example, she pays attention to websites such as Pinterest to stay current on consumer interests.
“What we’re doing is seeing what’s happening and making our own version and providing it faster than anyone else,” Stockton said. “And we are local and we gift wrap.”
With a background in graphic design, Stockton frequently comes up with ways to personalize serving trays, drink buckets, t-shirts, hostess gifts and other items.
“I’ll create a design, take a photo and post it on Instagram, which is connected to Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and all my social media accounts,” Stockton said. “I can create an item at 10 a.m., post it and I will (have) sales within a half hour.”
Different businesses use different strategies.
“(Retailers) have been called upon to really study their customer base and how you best reach them,” Rolek said.
Forest Bootery, 284 E. Market Square, started off in 1949 as a shoe store. In the 1990s as shoe sales decreased, the owners added clothing and outerwear. Nowadays the main competition is online, said manager Chris Meyer
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“We can’t always compete with somebody who is click-happy and wants it tomorrow,” Meyer said.
Meyer suggests Lake Foresters are more sophisticated buyers.
“My customers, many have multiple homes and travel the world,” he said. “They go on vacation more than most.
To cater to that, the owners scour the world to find unique items for sale, Meyer said.
At Lake Forest Book Store, 662 N. Western Ave., owner Eleanor Thorn changed her merchandise mix.
“When I bought the store, I found we had lost our toy store in town,” Thorn said. “I started carrying toys. Then I brought in some gift items. You can buy a book and tie it in with a gift. It has increased our sales the last two years, about 10 percent each year.”
This is not to say the store has forgotten about books.
“The (employees) here are very well-read,” Thorn said. “We have such a loyal following of customer that would prefer to get personal recommendations rather than go to a mall and have booksellers who haven’t read the books. The same with Amazon.”
At Kiddles Sports, 258 Market Square, the Shlifka family aims to understand what customers want and will change to supply it. Lee Shlifka, the second generation owner, says that his father bought the store in 1968.
“It was a hardware store,” Shlifka said. “Back then you would buy a Schwinn (bicycle) at a hardware store. That was the aspect he was interested in.”
Around 1975, the store started its transition to a full range of sporting goods. Since then he’s seen big box competitors such as Sports Authority go out of business.
“I’m not going up against Amazon,” Shlifka said. “You stay true to your niche.”
For Kiddles Sports, that niche is carrying high quality merchandise from reputable brands.
“If you look at the demographics of the North Shore – educated, strong family culture – it plays into understanding quality,” Shlifka said.
Other businesses compete with the high tech by using a personal touch.
“In our increasingly virtual world, the face-to-face communication and relationship building is the key,” Rolek said.
At the Lake Forest Shop, 265 Market Square, owner Ellen Stirling aims for a double win by partnering with local nonprofits. During the first week of October, the store gives ten percent of its sales back to various nonprofits. Over the summer, the Lake Forest Shop auctioned off clothes with proceeds going to area nonprofits that help women in need. The nonprofits gain funding and the Lake Forest Shop brings in customers and potential customers.
The store also brings in designers to work directly with customers, special orders items and hosts a club for women business owners.
Lake Forest residents do shop locally, according to a community survey commissioned by the city this year. Of the 2,133 households who responded to the survey, 98 percent said they shopped at least once a month in Lake Forest, said Morgan Adams, a research associate at National Research Center, where the results were tabulated.
At least half of the respondents said they would shop locally more often if there were different or additional stores and services. Specific requests were for more apparel, home accessories and hardware.
Buying locally not only impacts local merchants but also residents, Rolek said.
“It’s property values,” Rolek said. “Home buyers want to have a vibrant community. They want convenient shopping, activities, ways to connect, the traditional experience of living in a suburban area. If we don’t, that will change the face of our business district and can impact the bottom line of residents who may be trying to sell their house.”
Twitter: @reporterdude
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