Quality Service One Of The Keys To LP Merchants' Success

It was a small town moment likely repeated a hundred times a day in Lake Placid.

Shopkeepers Lisa Baldwin and Jennifer Glover of Scrap, Paper, Scissors chatted with a regular customer during a transaction in their hometown shop.

They heard a review of a restaurant in Savannah, Ga., from shopper Christine Winslow.
"Our customers have become our friends," said Glover.

Winslow took classes at the shop and said the shop atmosphere was nice and friendly.
"You get that personal attention," said Winslow. "I'm hooked."

Forrest Steele was manning the register and selling clothing at Authentic Supply Co., just down the block on Interlake Boulevard from Scrap, Paper, Scissors.

He said that downtown Lake Placid businesses are successful partly because of convenience, but less tangible qualities make shoppers return.

"You've got to take up an hour of your time and burn a couple of gallons of gas to get to Sebring," said Steele. "Most customers we recognize and it's more relaxing."

Wanda Cooper of Ridge Florist and Mayor Tom Katsanis would likely agree about why many local businesses stick around for the long term.

"The community likes to support one another," said Cooper.

Katsanis talked about shopper loyalty.

"Even if it costs a little bit more, I'm going to buy it here," he said. "We're service oriented."
Many downtown local merchants said their businesses are competetivly priced compared to the box stores.

Jeanne Fortier runs Home and Office Essentials and is president of the Lake Placid Merchants Association, which has about 45 members.

"We buy from a wholesaler who knows we're in competetion and we have next day delivery on 28,000 items," said the Main Avenue retailer. "When you're offering hometown service that people want, you have to go that extra mile," said Fortier.

Lake Placid native Maxine Kelley bought a couple of extension cords from Caufield & Sons Inc., a hardware store on Interlake Boulevard.

"I didn't know exactly what I wanted," said Kelley. "I believe in doing business locally. They're courteous."

Employee Paul Copeland chatted with Kelley after the purchase was completed.

"I'm not just a guy standing behind the cash register taking your money," said Copeland.

Sherry McKinney was selling from her shop, Bead Expression Studio, across from the police station.
McKinney will host classes along with Scrap, Paper, Scissors and several other downtown merchants will stay open on Tuesday nights until 8.

"It's great to get to know your customers' names and to get to know them," said McKinney. "We offer customer service you can't get from the Internet."