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Buy in Ballard this holiday season

Posted by Geeky Swedes on November 10th, 2008

With the economy in turmoil and the holiday season quickly approaching, many Ballard businesses are understandably nervous. Families are spending less, and there’s no quick recovery on the horizon. As Vince Harris, owner of Romanza, said in a story on KOMO TV recently, “Please shop locally. Support your local people. It’s the best thing you can do for all of us.”

That gave us the idea to start a “Buy in Ballard” campaign to remind all of us to support the hundreds of local businesses in the neighborhood, from restaurants to shops to local services. After all, Ballard is a town in itself. The more we keep our money in town, the more local jobs we’ll preserve. You can learn more about our campaign right here, and thank you for your support.

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  • If you are looking for a great local place to spend your holiday dollars look no further than Laura Bee. I went to the Anniversay party last night. There is so much affordable jewelry along with great purses there. I plan on buying a lot of my Christmas gifts there this year!
  • gordy
    We were just in downtown Ballard and Tableau is going to have an open house Thursday, with 15% off sale. The holiday windows at various stores look great-especially at Lucca.
  • Anna
    I was in a lot of local Ballard stores this weekend & found a ton of stuff to buy for presents this year. Ballard shops provide a great place for interesting gifts instead of the same "old sweater" you can purchase at dept. stores.
  • kim
    i hope some businesses will recognize that their customer service needs improving. regardless of the times, that will drive me away anytime.
  • NAG
    If anyone wants to buy me anything, head straight to Lucca. Love that place.
  • MG
    Where is Laura Bee???

    And I second the "customer service" point that kim made. Nothing bothers me more than to walk into a store and walk out without a single person acknowledging my existence. On the flip side, if I receive fabulous customer service, I am definitely more apt to spread the word about the store/restaurant.
  • Swishy Ballard Boy
    Or buy online out of state and not pay sales tax.
  • kim
    Laura Bee---corner of 65th and 20th. Across from Smokin' Pete's.
  • Cal in Ballard
    I'm stoked to see this post! I was just talking about this recently with my wife. I also want to extend this sentiment to groceries. I know it's more expensive, but go for the Sunday Market and Ballard Market before heading into Safeway. Also, may I recommend some great stores to Christmas shop. For her: Velouria. For him: Blackbird. For anyone: Sonic Boom. For anyone with record players: Bop Street. For anyone with walls: Annie's. For the kids (and your eclectic friends): Monster. And experiences make great gifts. Also consider tix to an upcoming show at The Tractor or The Sunset.
  • Laura Bee is on 65th and 22nd or so (right across from Pete's Smokin BBQ. I plan to pick up a birthday gift there later this week. :)
  • Kara
    In the four years I lived in Ballard I got all my Christmas shopping done locally. Its super easy and people receive unique gifts! Now this year its shopping in the West Seattle Junction. This is an excellent idea!
  • JP
    I used to be able to support the local economy, but I can't afford to anymore. Ever since the company for which I work moved to Woodinville after more than fifty years in Ballard, all my extra cash has been going into my gas tank. So now, in order to save money, I'm forced to shop at places like Safeway and Fred Meyer.
  • Ballard Girl
    I definitely am commited to shopping locally. I must agree with MG and Kim, our local shops could use to up their "customer service" skills. It is so discouraging to walk into a shop with an owner or sales person busy chatting on the phone, talking to one another, reading a book/magazine or in deep conversation with some friend who wandered in the store....often times I walk out because I can't seem to ask a question, and they don't seem to care they just missed a sale....when customers walk in, take notice...start a conversation i.e "I love your shoes" "thats a great bag". or that color looks great on you..."if you love that____then let me show you something you will love even more" It's all about engaging and building relationships....Merchants take notice....
  • I agree with Ballard Girl! At Romanza, we impress upon our employees to greet every customer within 10 seconds upon entry into the store. We don't have a 100% success rate but we all try as hard as we can to provide excellent customer service.

    I invite anyone to contact me directly if you ever have an experience at Romanza that is less than satisfactory. If we don't know we are doing something wrong, we can't correct it. We want you to love the shop as much as we do and we encourage your input.

    Our Holiday Open House is this Saturday November 15th 2008 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.!

    The open house will feature festive holiday decorations, refreshments, free gifts with purchase, appearances by Santa, and more. Romanza will be fully stocked this holiday season and our open house is a brilliant way to kick off the holiday season. Our snow machine will be running intermittently in front of the shop bringing delight to young and old!
    This year our open house will also feature Katherine Kleski of Katherine’s Collection. From 4:00 p.m. to 8 p.m., meet the unique personality behind this incredible and diverse company. Katherine’s Collection is an internationally recognized brand of handmade collectibles. Continuing to operate as a family owned business, Katherine’s artisans are “Romancing memories of the past to create heirlooms of the future”.

    We hope you all can make it!

    John and Vince
    Romanza

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