St. Louis Families Rally to Save Local Businesses

A few years ago, my husband and I migrated from St. Louis City to the Edwardsville area. With a young daughter, another on the way, and two busy careers for which we traveled frequently, we needed to be closer to his family.

But while the move was right for our family, I won’t deny I threw myself on my bed, wailed like a hormonal teenager (“It’s not fair. I don’t wanna gooooo!”), and cranked The Cure to musically proclaim my displeasure with my husband’s plan.

No more spur-of-the-moment trips to the Zoo, no more 10-minute walks to a quaint dinner on The Hill. Home was to be a suburban promised land of chain restaurants as far as the eye could see and happy hours centered on the Applebee’s margarita.  

Yet, as much as big box stores dominate the suburban landscape and as much as consumers and the community depend on their services, to my delight and surprise, Edwardsville has held on tight to its locally-owned businesses –  the organizations that built and fuel small towns like ours. And at no time has that devotion been more evident than the past two weeks.

A case study in community support

Recently, Once Upon a Toy, a 26-year-old toy store and Edwardsville institution announced it was closing. Tired of seeing other family-owned businesses close their doors, the Edwardsvillians didn’t sit back and gripe – they united through social media and crowdsourcing to buy the storeowners more time.

Within three days, individuals, families and businesses both inside city limits and across the country raised more than $75,000, which has helped the doors stay open. Kids who loved the store scrounged through their piggy banks to donate a few dollars; other local businesses, from a custard stand to a clothing store, donated 10 percent of a day’s proceeds to give Once Upon a Toy a second chance.

Said Shawnta’ Ray, mom of two and owner of the store since 2006, “We are so lucky to be living and working among people so willing to try and help a business in need! The kindness and tears I have shared with so many families and other businesses has been unbelievable and wonderful! Who would have thought a little store like ours made such an impact on the community that people would come out in force just to make sure we survived?”

Like many bookstore owners, LuAnn Locke of Afterwords Books in Edwardsville faces increasing competition from the Kindles and Nooks of the world. Yet, unlike her online counterparts, Locke has built a rapport with booklovers in the community.

In January, she made the difficult decision to relocate her shop to reduce her overhead and was greeted with a sigh of relief from a community that was understandably nervous she would have to shut her doors.

The support from customers old and new alike was incredible according to Locke. “We were met with encouragement and an outpouring of support in the way of offers to volunteer with the packing and moving and vows to follow us to the new location.”

Buoyed by her customers’ support, on Saturday, May 4th, Afterwords will have its grand re-opening celebration at its new location at 232 S. Buchanan Street in Edwardsville.

Why families must help fuel locally-owned

But the big question is, with so many convenient shopping choices at our fingertips, why are families going above and beyond to support their local stores in such a dramatic way?

Customers are again recognizing these businesses – the local diner, the bike store, the custard stand – are literally mom-and-pop companies, supporting the communities in which they live. They donate to the same churches and schools our families attend, support the organizations we depend on, and provide extra touches to create a unique shopping experience.

My daughters love Once Upon a Toy where they’re free to play with the toys right off the shelves. The staff has always been delightful, striking up conversations with my little girls to make them feel like the most important customers in the store or helping me find the perfect gift when I fly in to pick up a last-second gift for a kid’s birthday party starting in 10 minutes.

Likewise, said Sara Colvin, who helped spearhead the marketing of the Save the Toy Store Drive, “The ‘purple toy store’ is the only one around where you can let your kids interact and play with items  and really figure out what they may like instead of buying a boxed toy and hoping for the best.”

To me, Afterwords isn’t a book store – it’s become a community gathering place.  In its walls, I’ve built relationships with people from all walks of life, but each with an incredible sense of humor and an inquisitive mind, to discuss novels and current events at our monthly book clubs. Afterwords is a place that offers Saturday book readings for my daughters, a documentary club for film buffs, and fresh baked treats to its customers.

It’s this mutually beneficial relationship that is the fabric of a strong local community.

 “The shop local movement is stronger than ever as our community understands the value of the small, independent businesses that make up the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area,” said Locke.

“There’s a growing consciousness of the importance of each individual commitment to nurture the community, to see their tax dollars directly benefit their towns, that culture and diversity are meaningful, that it’s their neighbors who are all working together to make a difference.”

“We understand that they (customers) could buy goods and services at the big box stores for significantly less, but we’re fortunate in that more and more people truly understand that the few dollars it seems they are saving at face value are not worth the compromise to the vitality of their community.”

This week marks my family’s fourth year in the suburbs. What began with me kicking and screaming my way east on 270 has turned into an incredible experience as I’ve met so many local business owners dedicated to growing the community and a town of supporters willing to join them in their efforts.

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting

Metro East mom Nicole Plegge is the lifestyle and pop culture blogger for SmartParenting. Besides working full time for a local nonprofit and raising two daughters and a husband, Nicole's greatest achievements are finding her misplaced car keys each day and managing to leave the house in a stain-free shirt. Her biggest regret is never being accepted to the Eastland School for Girls.