By Gene Williams and Ann K. Williams
April 9 -- Downtown merchants may be reaping th benefits of a campaign that urges Santa Monicans to buy local, but they're also taking special measures to help drum up business during tough economic times.
Helping one’s neighbor takes place daily in an historic art deco building on Fourth Street near Broadway, where several of Downtown’s small businesses frequently refer their customers to each other. That’s where you’ll find Jolene Reynolds, co-owner of Dellarobbia florist.
"A lot of businesses have been here for a long time,” Reynolds said. “We work together as one networking group.”
Reynolds said her flower shop typically doesn’t get a lot of walk-in customers – most of her sales are to businesses that phone their orders in. “We work a lot with local hotels,” she said.
But those who do come into Reynolds’ shop are often sent there by other businesses in her building, she said. That’s because she helps brighten her neighbor’s shops with fresh floral arrangements.
“Their customers see them, and they come into our shop, or we direct our customers to them,” Reynolds said. “The bridal salon (Hannah Hartnell Studio) sends their customers to us. So does the hair salon (Hair Designers Studio).”
For Reynold’s neighbor, Hanna Hartnell, it’s vital that local business do what they can to help each other.
“Networking is key at this time,” Hartnell said. “When someone comes into my shop to get a bridal gown, I drag them over there to get flowers, and they reciprocate.”
In addition to sending business to the flower shop, Hartnell refers dance-challenged wedding parties to the Dance Doctor studio for lessons. If clients are looking for lunch, she tells them about local restaurants including Border Grill and Sushi Roll House.
She also sends customers to Exhale spa, and wedding parties to Anissette Brasserie – which she says is the perfect place for a wedding rehearsal dinner.
At Dellarobbia, Reynolds supports the local economy by buying regionally-grown flowers at the Downtown farmers market. In keeping with sustainable practices, she recycles all her shop’s green waste, which the City turns into mulch.
And she further helps the community by spending a portion of her business’s advertising budget to support Step Up on Second and the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC), two local social service agencies that help the homeless.
“We have a really good response to that because the local people see we support the local charities," Reynolds said.
Some Downtown businesses are coming up with creative marketing techniques all their own
The Kutting Room on 2nd Street is all about hair – and art and, sometimes, music. That’s because the Kutting Room is a hair salon that doubles as an art gallery and occasionally as a concert venue.
“Everybody is like an artist,” said salon owner Jane Suh, “whether they showcase their talents or showcase their looks.”
Every two months, the salon hosts an art opening when new works go up on the walls. Past exhibitions include works by urban artist Blaine Fontana and mixed-media experimentalist Ryan Miller.
In addition, the Kutting Room sells unique items on consignment from boutique fashion designers, and allows local bands to perform.
“I love introducing new people, new talents,” Suh said. “It creates acknowledgement of the salon, it creates networking, and it creates freshness.”
The result is a loyal clientele of creative people who come together to exchange ideas, teach and learn from each other – and get a good hair style.
A few blocks away on Santa Monica Boulevard, Three Dog Bakery keeps its canine customers loyal by pleasing dogs with discriminating palettes, keeping prices low and putting on several special in-store events, said the shop’s owners Hannah and Rocky Keever.
Each month, Three Dog Bakery puts on “yappy hours” and “cockertail mixers,” giving its patrons a chance to socialize while sampling appetizers, or “yappetizers,” depending on the species. Past mixers include a Valentines Day dance and a “Luck of the Irish Setter” celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
“All of our events are free,” Hannah said. “It’s an opportunity to have a fun, free night out with your dog.”
The events “make it exciting for people to keep coming back.” she said. “It’s really important, especially right now. There is not a lot of traffic, and the economy is tight. So we want to do things to get people to visit our stores again.”
In another example of Downtown neighbors helping each other, the doggie bakery teams up with other local businesses. The Keevers are presently working with Lululemon – a nearby store that specializes in yoga apparel – to put on a yoga event called “Poses and Paws.” Ever see a dog meditate?
“It’s really great that in Santa Monica, local businesses want to team up,” Keever said. “It’s definitely a great place to have a small business.”
