While most employers are cutting jobs, Once Upon A Child recently hired a new worker to help with back-to-school shopping this fall.
Store owner Stephanie Herbison said she usually hires a seasonal worker and saw no reason to cut back this year, especially since the store has seen an increase of customers visiting the used children’s clothing and furniture store along DuPont Highway.
But Once Upon a Child isn’t the only business that has continued to prosper in a sluggish economy marked by tightening budgets and rising unemployment.
Grocery stores, discount retailers and drug stores all have remained in the black during the past year and a half, according to the National Retail Federation.
“We’ve also been hearing reports that pet stores are continuing to do well,” said NRF spokeswoman Kathy Grannis. “People don’t think of their pets as discretionary but as a member of the family.”
The Dover franchise of Two Men and a Truck also has purchased a new moving truck this year and was named one of the company’s fastest growing franchises in the country.
Business owner Jen Gondolfo noted that even with the sluggish housing market, people are continuing to rent houses and move to different states.
Judy Diogo, president of the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce, said local manufacturing plants have been helped through the economic downturn by evaluating which products are most in demand on the market and changing their product lines to meet those demands.
“A lot have thought outside the box and marketed themselves well,” Diogo said.
She added local retailers also have been helped by the recent warm weather that has caused people to plant gardens, make home improvements and walk around the city.
Herbison said Once Upon A Child’s success is likely caused by the recent movement to help the environment by recycling goods and by the recession causing more consumers to look for ways to save a buck.
“I’m not really seeing a change in what people are buying,” she said. “I’m just seeing more customers.”
Gondolfo thinks Two Men and a Truck is helped by its reputation among real estate companies and customers for providing quality customer service.
“I am told time and time again how friendly my movers are,” Gondolfo said.
Sherri Short, owner of C&M Short Auto Salvage and Sales in Magnolia, said her company has maintained the same amount of business during the bad times. The business has seen a lot of people making major repairs to their vehicles to avoid the expense of buying a new one, she said.
“We’ve also had a lot of calls from people looking to tow away junk cars,” Short said, adding that locals are probably turning to the old cars as a source of cash.
Diogo also noted many local businesses have weathered the economic downturn by making necessary cutbacks and trying new things.
“So many businesses have become more aware of the market, become creative, and found new niches,” she said.
Email Elaine Hughes at elaine.hughes@doverpost.com.
