SOME
SOME RESEARCH. >> ALL RIGHT. SO TOMORROW IS SMALL BUSINESS
SATURDAY AND NOW THE GASLAMP
DISTRICT GETTING INTO THE
HOLIDAY SPIRIT.
THEY HAVE SPECIAL OFFERINGS AND
A CHANCE TO WIN FREE GIFT
CARDS.
JOINING US TO SHARE WHY WE
SHOULD ALWAYS SHOP SMALL RUTHIE
LOVE FROM EYES ON FIFTH AND
CO-OWNER OF DOWNTOWN ACE
HARDWARE PAM SCHWARTZ.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU BOTH.
GOOD MORNING.
PAM, LET'S START WITH YOU.
SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HOLIDAY
THEMED OFFERINGS AND DEALS OUT
THERE?
OH, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON AT
AN ALL THE GASLAMP AREA.
THERE'S LOTS OF RETAIL IF YOU
COME DOWN FOR PLENTY OF
PARKING.
I THINK EACH RETAILER PROBABLY
HAS THEIR OWN SPECIALS GOING
ON.
IT'S A GREAT TIME TO SUPPORT
THE SMALL BUSINESSES.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE MINDS THE
BIG BOXES IN OUR STORE IN
PARTICULAR WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS, LIGHTS,
CHRISTMAS TREES, GARLAN.
AND THEN ALSO GREAT GIFT IDEAS
AIR FRYER'S SUPER BIG THIS YEAR
,POWER TOOLS, LOTS OF IDEAS.
YOU CAN ALSO DO ORDERING ONLINE
AND CURBSIDE PICKUP.
WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE SAFE.
BUT STILL HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY.
>> THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS LIKE
ABOUT MY LOCAL ACE HARDWARE IS
YOU CAN JUST GO IN THERE AND
LITERALLY GET EVERYTHING YOU
NEED.
IT'S LIKE ONE STOP SHOPPING
THERE FOR SURE.
>> AND DON'T PAM, WE DO WANT TO
TALK ABOUT OBVIOUSLY THIS YEAR
IT'S BEEN CERTAINLY VERY HARD
FOR SO MANY DIFFERENT
BUSINESSES.
TELL US WHAT IT'S BEEN LIKE FOR
YOU TO RUN THE ACE HARDWARE
DOWNTOWN.
>> YEAH, IT'S BEEN PARTICULARLY
HARD I THINK DOWNTOWN HERE FOR
ALL THE RETAILERS YOU KNOW, THE
GAS PUMP AREA IT'S ORDERED
MOSTLY BY TOURISTS AND WITH NO
CONVENTIONS AND VERY FEW
TOURISTS IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT
AND FOR US A GREAT MAJORITYF
OUR CUSTOMERS ARE THE
RESTAURANTS AND THE BARS AND
THE HOTELS AND ALSO
CONVENTIONEERS AND WE HAVEN'T
HAD ANY OF THAT.
SO IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT BUT
WE'RE HANGING IN THERE AND
LUCKILY THE LOCALS LIVE
DOWNTOWN HAS BEEN REALLY
SUPPORTIVE AND WE HOPE THAT
THAT WILL CONTINUE AND THAT
PEOPLE WILL COME DOWNTOWN AND
DO SOME OF THEIR SHOPPING AND
NOT WORRY ABOUT GOING TO THE
BIG STORES AND STANDING IN
LINES, RIGHT?
YEAH, YEAH.
>> SUPPORT LOCAL ESPECIALLY
WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS
SATURDAY HERE.
LET'S BRING IN ROUSSET INTO THE
CONVERSATION HERE.
SO HOW'S BUSINESS BEEN FOR YOU?
YOU'RE AT EYES ON 5TH THERE AM
AND.
>> BUSINESS HAS BEEN SLOW BUT
WE'RE WE'RE MAKING IT WORK.
WE'RE REALLY LUCKY THAT A LOT
OF OUR REGULAR CUSTOMERS HAVE
BEEN COMING OUT TO SEE WITH ALL
OF OUR TOURISTS WE KIND OF
UNDERESTIMATE HOW MANY LOCALS
WE HAD THAT CAME DOWN TO SEE US
WHICH HAS BEEN A NICE TO HEAR
THAT I'M LOOKING AT YOUR WEB
SITE.
>> AND I MEAN SOME REALLY COOL
SUNGLASSES THAT JUST POP.
I MEAN YOU HAVE DEFINITELY
UNIQUE GIFTS OUT THERE.
WE SURE DO.
WE'VE ACTUALLY GOT SOME REALLY
FUN ONES IF YOU WANT TO DOUBLE
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS, WE'VE
GOT SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN
MADE.
>> HAND ME LOCAL IN SAN DIEGO
LIKE THIS SPECK'S WAX THAT'S
MADE FROM RECYCLED VINYL
RECORDS.
WE'VE GOT ALL KINDS COOL UNIQUE
SUNGLASSES THAT YOU CAN GET FOR
YOUR FRIEND'S AND WE CAN ALSO
USE YOUR FLEXIBLE SPENDING
ACCOUNT BECAUSE IT'S GETTING
DOWN TO THAT TIME OF YEAR WHERE
YOU DO COUNT.
YOU KNOW YOU DON'T NEED TO JUST
SPEND IT ON MANDATES.
WE CAN DEFINITELY WORK THAT.
>> YEAH.
YEAH.
AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WITH WITH
GLASSES ESPECIALLY IT'S
SOMETHING YOU NEED TO HOLD SEE
PUT ON YOUR FACE.
THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING YOU
NEED TO DO IN PERSON IS THAT
THERE'S ALSO WAYS THAT WE FOUND
TO WORK AROUND THAT WE DO OFFER
ZUNE CALLS AND FACE TIME
APPOINTMENTS FOR PEOPLE WHO YOU
KNOW WE DID LOSE A LOT OF OUR
OUT OF TOWN CUSTOMERS.
>> SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THAT
AND WE HAVE SOME SETUPS THAT IF
YOU WANT TO TRY SOME THINGS WE
CAN DO SOME SOME OF YOUR
INFORMATION AND SEND SOME OF
THE FRAMES OUT TO YOU HAVE WE
CHECK THEM OUT IN THE MAIL THEM
BACK WHICHEVER ONES YOU DON'T
WANT AND THAT'S BEEN WORKING
PRETTY WELL FOR A LOT OF OUR
PEOPLE LIKE SPECIFICALLY THE
L.A. FOLKS THAT DON'T WANT TO
MAKE THE TRIP DOWN.
>> IT'S AMAZING YOU GUYS ARE
ABLE TO PIVOT ADAPT RIGHT.
AND FIND NEW BUSINESS TO
OVERCOME IS OUR MOTTO.
>> YEAH.
>> YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THIS
HOLIDAY SEASON, I MEAN HOW MUCH
DO YOU COUNT ON MONEY COMING
IN?
I MEAN THAT'S THE END OF THE
YEAR AND IT'S BEEN A ROUGH RIDE
.
>> IT HAS BEEN A ROUGH RIDE AND
YOU KNOW, OF COURSE OBVIOUSLY
AS A SMALL BUSINESS WE WANT AS
MUCH COMING IN AS WE CAN.
>> BUT THIS YEAR MOST PEOPLE
WEREN'T THINKING LIKE HEY, I'M
GOING TO GO GET MY SUNGLASSES
RIGHT.
>> SO YOU KNOW, IT'S
TRADITIONALLY WE HAVE KIND OF A
BOOM OF A SUMMER AND THEN THAT
KIND OF PUTS US THROUGH ON
THAT.
THE HOLIDAY SEASON BUT
OBVIOUSLY THIS SUMMER WAS A
LITTLE BIT MORE TOUGH.
WE MISSED OUT ON A LOT OF THE
CONVENTIONS THAT WERE COMING
THROUGH.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE
HOPING THAT WE CAN REALLY KIND
OF HELP DIVERT SOME OF THAT,
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO WOULD
NORMALLY GO TO ONE OF THE BIG
BOX CHAINS AND JUST GET
SOMETHING THEY CAN REALLY GET
SOMETHING UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL.
>> RUTHIE, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME
AND PAM, REAL QUICK GIFT CARDS
PEOPLE CAN WIN GIFT CARDS.
CAN YOU JUST TELL US REAL QUICK
HOW THEY CAN DO THAT?
>> YEAH, IF YOU GO ON TO
FACEBOOK AND TAKE A SELFIE AND
WHENEVER THERE ARE RETAILERS
DOWN HERE AT THE GAS WRAPPING
DO A HASHTAG GASLAMP AND GO
ENTER YOU OR A CHANCE TO WIN
SOME GIFT CARDS FROM DIFFERENT
RETAILERS.
GOOD IDEA.
>> PEOPLE LOVE THEIR CELL