Small businesses feeling Christmas rush

Smaller, locally owned businesses have a lot of competition with malls and larger stores in the area and also the big shopping areas at Bayer's Lake, Dartmouth Crossing and even Moncton.
With less than a month left before Christmas, local business is starting to pick up.
"It was a little slow at first but it's picking up," said Debbie Heighton, owner of Casper's Gifts in Pictou.
Heighton stays competitive by being a smart shopper. She only chooses things that people aren't likely to find in a mall.
Casper's is a popular spot. Heighton says she gets business from all over the county and beyond. "We get people from Halifax who have cottages here in the summer.
"Being open, being there for people, that sort of thing has got to appeal to people," she said of small local business.
She recently sent some customers to China Cupboard in New Glasgow when they couldn't find what they wanted in her store. She believes that local businesses have to try and help each other out across the county.
That type of co-operation is common shopkeepers said Cathy Cotter, co-owner of the China Cupboard with Nancy Goodman.
"We do that with each other. We try not to carry the same things," Cotter said.
Cotter said shopping downtown offers a "familiar atmosphere" for shoppers.
"It's nice for people to shop downtown. It's local people with local businesses… you get the personal touch when you come into a small place compared to a big box store."
Mark Firth, owner of GMF Computers in New Glasgow and president of the New Glasgow Development Commission, says local businesses have an edge over big ones because customers often get to deal with the owner.
"You can't stop them," Firth said of people heading to big stores to shop. "We're trying to use what we have to attract people," he said.
He tries to keep his business unique and stays active in the community by sponsoring events or sports teams. Word of mouth does the rest for him.
Joanne Mader at the Spunky Monkey says, "It's always a challenge to try and keep people local."
Mader believes that advertising is first and foremost. She uses a client e-mail list to keep customers notified of what she has and sales.
"I try and stay unique."
"It's nice to support the local merchants downtown," said Krista Tingley as she shopped at the Wood Shop.
"The retailers are so friendly and helpful," she said. She likes shopping downtown because there is a mixture of local products and even some things you can find in bigger stores.
But, she said there has been so much construction that it's been hard to access shops.
Construction in downtown New Glasgow has affected local business, according to Firth and Mader. But now that it's coming to an end, shoppers are able to access to the shops again.
"We're seeing an improvement over the last couple of days," said Sandra Rushton at the Wood Shop, "We're glad to see the workers finally done."
The merchants in the county are trying to work together to promote themselves.
"If you don't support local, it affects everything," says Mader.