Dec 14, 2009

Niche businesses angle for more holiday salesBy Jo Lee FergusonNews-Journal.com

‘Tis the season to do some business.

It’s the time of year that some East Texans look forward to as the season when their niche businesses shine as they help shoppers celebrate the holidays just right.

Some area business owners who deal in ornaments, Christmas trees and fireworks all cited one of the same keys to having a good season — finding a way to make their operations stand out.

The businesses aren’t the only ones to benefit from a good season.

“Local tree farms are a great asset to the area,” said Kelly Hall, president of the Longview Partnership, which includes the Chamber of Commerce. Her office takes lots of calls every year — even more so this year — about tree farm locations.

They’re a way for families to create a Christmas memories, and not just local families. One area tree farmer has seen people from the Houston area, as well as Dallas and Shreveport.

“Our natural beauty with the tree industry in East Texas is the perfect setting for Christmas tree farms,” Hall said. “You’ll see families with tree strapped to their roofs on I-20 and Highway 80 beginning the day after Thanksgiving. With the economy still sluggish, it will be interesting to monitor the stay vacations during the holidays.”

Fireworks businesses have a lot to contend with each year: weather — droughts, for instance, that can affect what they can sell and where; and people who want to restrict the use of fireworks because of concerns about safety, according to Joe Daughtry, president of the Texas Fireworks Association.

At the same time, fireworks sales help the local economy. They contribute to local sales tax revenues and generate money for rural fire departments through an additional tax, he said.

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