Sheri Wren Haymore

Thrive

An oft-heard phrase is “small business is the backbone of our economy.” How well I know, having been a small business owner (along with my husband) from 1981 until 2019, that well-intentioned folks will pat you on the back and then shop at a big-box store. Or online. Trust me when I say that small business owners are the bravest, most hard-working, most generous neighbors you’ll ever have, and all that they ask is for the community to recognize and reward the value of their presence. With this in mind, let’s be intentional in our support for our local entrepreneurs. Here are a few that we spoke with. Amy Slate opened Scarlet Begonias in November 2005, because she desired to be an active part of Mt. Airy’s downtown community. At that time, her two daughters were young, and Amy wanted the gift shop to be a project that they could build together. Indeed, her daughters – now grown – still play a role by keeping their youthful eyes open for trends. The niche that Scarlet Begonias fills has remained true to Amy’s original desire to provide a cheerful, colorful, thoughtful shopping experience. She carefully curates unique pieces that are fun to give and collect at reasonable prices. Among Amy’s favorite artist pieces are Anne Vaughan Designs original jewelry (Floyd, Virginia); Consuela Handbags (Austin, Texas); Stuart Nye Jewelry (Asheville); and local artist Sue Kirkman’s greeting cards. It is rewarding to see customers pop in for a new shirt to wear to an event, a fun handbag, baby gift, or a new pillow for their home. She is grateful to the community for naming Scarlet Begonias the area’s Best Gift Shop in the Mountie Awards nine years in a row. It’s a privilege, says Amy, to be part of Mt. Airy’s warm, walkable downtown and to be doing something she truly loves. See featured products at www.scarletbegonias.com/ Pages Books and Coffee, opened in 1980, was purchased in January 2005, by Scott and Sandy Gwyn from its original owners. Soon after, they folded their existing Christian bookstore into Pages and added the coffee shop, putting their own spin on coffee trends. In 2012, the store moved to its current location on Main Street, Mt. Airy. While digital downloads hit hard cover book sales for a while, over time, says Sandy, readers have returned to hard books because they like to hold a book in their hands. Sandy stocks titles and authors that local customers enjoy and she’s able to get special orders quickly. Her door is always open to local authors for book signings and shelf space. Magazines, jigsaw puzzles, and the kid’s corner with durable Melissa & Doug toys also bring folks in. Sandy is grateful for the Surry County and Mt. Airy School systems’ commitment to purchase as much reading material as they can from local sources. Recently, Surry County Schools received a grant to purchase specific titles, and Sandy says it worked well for her to source the books from various publishers and box them for each school. Pages has also helped with book fairs at several schools, offering educational books that teachers want and giving back 20 percent of sales to each school. The beauty of being part of a small town, says Sandy, is providing customer service, including curbside delivery, gift wrap, rewards program, and special orders. Scott and Debbie Miller together run Debbie Miller Designs (aka Miller Drapery Shades and Shutters.) For Debbie, adding beauty to her environment comes naturally; when she found that she hated the corporate world, she began to pursue a design degree. After one course in drapery fabrication, Debbie was hooked and took every course offered on making draperies. Creating beautiful window treatments has been her joy and passion for 32 years. Debbie says that custom draperies impact a room more than any other design element. Scott came on board full time in 2017, which allowed the company to branch into hard treatments—shades, shutters, and blinds—which Scott consults and installs. The couple works with a client in-home, showing all the samples, narrowing down the function, the styles, to the point of choosing fabrics. Debbie Miller Designs is a full-service, front-to-back custom source for window treatments, from consulting to measuring to making to installing. Even the shutters are custom-made in NC. They also make bedding, pillows, Roman shades, shaped cornices, and fabric headboards. These days, millennials are investing in their homes and want motorization and automation for their window treatments, an area in which Scott specializes. Learn more at www.debbiemillerdesigns.com/ Harris Leather & Silverworks of State Road is a legendary maker of Western Pleasure saddles featuring intricately carved leather and hand-engraved silverwork. Their product line, which includes headstalls and halters, is jaw-dropping in beauty and detail. If you’ve never heard of them, it’s because their market is distinctive to show horses at the top of their sport in AQHA and NSBA. Riders who invest in their luxury saddles will compete at the national and international levels. Harris grew from a kitchentable “side business” to an operation that now employs about thirty people, including second and third generation family members. Always, the Harris family finds ways to remain at the forefront of their industry in quality and artistry. After answering my questions about the world of Western show competition, grandson Stanton Harris explained that the company keeps a low profile locally because they stay months behind on custom saddles. In fact, he said, there is only one major competitor creating their level of saddles. Stanton added that kindness and a family-centered atmosphere are hallmarks of their company. Visit harrisleather.com/ to see examples of their work. All around you, there are people creating, making, selling, and doing interesting things. Seek out a small business owner in your community and ask them to tell you how they started. I guarantee you’ll hear an interesting story that will endear you to their enterprise. Then spread the word and help them thrive.