MANSFIELD — Roger Kondrup might just be the definition of a loyal customer.
Kondrup left Mansfield and moved out-of-state in 2004. He returns to north central Ohio once a year to visit his daughter in Ashland.
Every time he’s back in town, he stops by Holly’s Book Rack.
“When we lived here, I was in here at least once a month, probably more,” said Kondrup, a fan of murder mysteries. “I built up quite a bit of my collection here.”
On Saturday, he drove to the Appleseed Shopping Center to check in on one of his favorite bookstores. He seemed relieved to see it alive and well.
“So many of the bookshops I’ve haunted over the years have gone,” he said. “Holly’s Book Rack is worth spending the time and effort to go to because you can always find something to scratch your itch.”
Holly’s was one of 74 Richland County businesses that participated in Small Business Saturday, a nationwide response campaign that encourages holiday shoppers to support their local entrepreneurs. Each business held a minimum $25 gift card drawing.
Advocates of Small Business Saturday cite multiple reasons for shopping small, from supporting the local economy to finding more unique items and better customer service.
The shelves at Holly’s are organized by genre, offering titles for nearly every conceivable interest — poetry and philosophy, romance, historical fiction, mystery novels, memoirs, cookbooks and field guides. There are books on spirituality and alternative medicine.
If a customer can’t find the title they’re looking for at Holly’s Book Rack, owner Holly Kryz will find it for them and have it shipped to the store.
“I can get it new, at discounts or used. I know who to buy from,” she said.
Kryz opened Holly’s Book Rack nearly three decades ago after losing a previous job.
“When I opened, my youngest son was eight months old. He’ll be 29 in January,” she said. “I had a 29-month-old in here with me also, my other son. I raised them in the bookstore.”
“It’s long hours but it’s been a lot of fun,” she added. “I’ve got strong clientele. I’ve got good people. It’s had it’s ups and downs, but I’m still here.”
Expertise can be another reason for choosing to patronize a small business. At local greenhouses, employees did more than just sell houseplants on Small Business Saturday — they advised customers on how to keep them alive past Christmas.
“We have over 200 years of knowledge with our staff,” said Josh Maurer, manager of Alta Florist and Greenhouse in Lexington.
In addition to flower pots and houseplants, Alta currently has thousands of poinsettias in stock. Shoppers can also stop by for live pine, giftware, table arrangements and a wide array of Christmas decorations.
“We offer uniqueness,” Maurer said. “We don’t have just what everybody else does, we try to stand apart.”
According to Maurer, the greenhouse will celebrate its centennial anniversary next year. The keys to its success have been a faithful customer base and a willingness to adapt.
“We have an acre under coverage. Most places our size have already closed,” he said. “Without the support of local people, we wouldn’t be here.”
Poinsettias may be associated with the holidays, but there’s no reason they can’t flourish as houseplants year round. Josh Maurer, manager of Alta Florist and Greenhouse, said the key to a happy, healthy poinsettia is to not overwater it or let water pool in its pot or decorative foil cover.
“Don’t over-love it,” he advised. “It’s related to a cactus so they’ve got to stay more on the dry side. They’ve got to have drainage.”
Kryz agreed that a successful small business owner must be open to change.
In addition to books, Holly’s children’s toys, puzzles, magnetic bookmarks and tarot cards.
After the Netflix series “Stranger Things” created a surge of interest in Dungeons and Dragons, she consulted a local board game store to find the best books on the topic.
“I really like the owners and I didn’t want to step on their toes, so I’m not carrying all the accoutrements, but they told me the three main books to have at all times,” she said.
While the Christmas season is often associated with retail, service and experience-based businesses also opened their doors for Saturday’s celebration of shopping local.
Customers can find the best of both worlds at places like Shady Lane Alpaca Farm & Store. The farm is located at the top of a winding uphill path off Gass Road in Lexington.
John and Jean McClintock began raising alpacas 10 years ago on a family farm in Johnsville. They moved to the Lexington farm four years later.
“We’ve done a lot of work on it. The roof needed to be done on this barn and the house,” Jean recalled. “They wouldn’t insure the house because the roof was so bad.”
The couple expanded their herd and added a store onsite inside a renovated hayloft. The shop sells a variety of alpaca products, including socks, hats, sweaters, gloves and yarn, as well as features Central and South American jewelry and home decor.
Shady Lane also hosts classes and workshops year round. Guests can learn how to carve gourds, make sourdough bread and create art from needle felt and glass.
“A lot of folks that do it now make Christmas presents,” Jean said. “A gourd’s like wood, you can do anything to it — wood burn it, carve it, paint it, whatever.”
The biggest event is autumn’s Alpaca Days — a free celebration complete with soup and cornbread, pony rides and demonstrations on blacksmithing and fiber spinning.
“Every year it keeps growing,” Jean said. We had about 250 people this year.”
McClintock said gift cards are available for sale for those who prefer to gift experiences rather than items.
“I think it’s important to support your local folks,” she said. “Otherwise they’re just going to go away.”
