Community connections make Pittsburg businesses work

By Brianna Barnes

In the heat of July, people swarmed inside the boutique, even jumping out of moving cars, trying to get in. Well over 20 people stood in line outside the boutique cooking in the heat.

That day was surreal for Abby Lallemand, owner of Embellish Boutique, who was hosting the business’ 10th anniversary sale. Everything outside was $20 or less, and an hour before the boutique closed for the day, she held an annual “stuff the bag” sale.

“People would jump out of moving vehicles to get to the sale,” Lallemand said. “It gets so nuts, and it’s just so fun and energizing to see how we can get everybody so excited.”

Owners say having a business is hard in Pittsburg because they must be extra present in the community to generate foot traffic. But they say the community connections built in the process keep them in business and make it all worth it.

Small businesses, big impact

Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce President Blake Benson said that up to 70 percent of jobs in Pittsburg come from small businesses, demonstrating that those businesses have an impact to the community. Spending money at those kind of businesses turns around and benefits customers.

“When you support local businesses, they then obviously take that money and they pay their employees, they pay their bills and then they go out and support local businesses as well,” Benson said. “So, it’s said that a dollar spent at a local business is then turns over four to seven times. For every dollar you spend, the community’s getting anywhere from $4 to $7 in return on that because we all just support each other, and it all starts with our small businesses. They’re extremely important to us.”

The city, Benson said, has a track record of supporting its businesses. This leads to local small businesses possibly growing to billion-dollar companies.

“Many of our largest employers today began as very small mom and pop businesses decades ago,” he said. “WATCO is a shortline railroad company that’s headquartered here. They began in the 80s with eight employees, and they now have 5000 employees, and they are a $2 billion, with a ‘B,’ company.”

Benson said the give and take from community to business is key to support and success. The track record of support from community, and the giving back of businesses, leads to small businesses making up such a large part of Pittsburg employment.

“Our businesses understand the importance of community, and I think they know the community has supported their business,” Benson said. “So, in turn, they support the community, and they support organizations like the Chamber [of Commerce]. They’re very good at supporting local schools, local churches and the YMCA. And I think they would tell you that’s a big reason for their success is they never lost that connection to the community.”

“We’re very blessed here to have businesses that understand that and never lose sight of it,” he said. “Even when they become very big and very successful.”

Forming connections

Miners and Monroe, Pastel Pennies and Embellish Boutique are three small businesses in Pittsburg.

Getting foot traffic and trying to find what people want is a shared struggle for these businesses, but is all about making people feel like they matter to Angela Mowen, owner of Pastel Pennies, a women’s fashion resale boutique.

“Anybody can shop on Amazon or Shein or anywhere you want fast fashion, or if you want better brands, go to the mall,” Mowen said. “But I think that people want to know that they matter. With us being a small business, when somebody comes in and shops with us, they do matter.”

“It’s nice because we have our regular customers and just people that come in, and you get to know them,” she added. “You know what they’re shopping for, and you know that their daughters are going on vacation or, you know, all these different things in their lives.”

Making people feel like they matter is one side of owning a small business; the other is consistency. For Davey Froman, owner of Miners and Monroe, being present in the community and being consistently present in the store are also parts of being a small business owner.

“We’re here every day, and we’re always open to you, and then we’re also present in the community by going out to eat at other places and going to other businesses and shopping at them for holidays and different things like that, too,” Froman said. “So, I think just the everyday presence is what makes most of the small businesses succeed or stay afloat.”

From knowing customers personally to making their day, business owners also benefit when people turn up for them as customers. Mowen’s favorite memory that keeps her going is the “fill a bag” event Pastel Pennies did the second year of business.

“The line was wrapped around the building, and it was so nice because it was not just for people shopping the ‘fill a bag’ event, but people came in, and we filled the store with all new arrivals, and we offered discounts,” Mowen said. “Just seeing how many people there were, everybody was just wonderful and sweet and had a good time and [was] just so excited. They were finding things for $1 or $2, and it was nice seeing all this stuff that would have just gone to the landfill.”

Interacting with the community makes the difficulties worth it for Froman, Mowen and Lallemand, and there are special moments in a business owner’s life that keep them going and bring them joy.

“My favorite part is the customers, the people and getting to make someone’s day,” Lallemand said. “A lot of the time, we know so many of our customers at a personal level. So when they come in, we can tell if they’re having an off day or something’s wrong, and we’re able to be there for them and help them in any way that we can.”