The Tri-County Journal
& Chattahoochee Chronicle
PO Box 850, 71 Webb Lane
Buena Vista, GA 31803
229-649-6397
tjournal@alltel.net
By RICHARD HARRIS (From the Sept. 13, 2006 issue)
The Dime Store, located “on the square” in Buena Vista, celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 2 with storewide discounts, refreshments and memories.
Owners Dawn and Kim Welch can hardly believe 30 years have passed since they bought the “W&S Shoppe” from Lavonne and Linda Moon and renamed it “The Dime Store.”
Before starting their years as business owners, Mrs. Welch had worked at the local drug store and enjoyed working with the public and selling goods. Mr. Welch’s family had been in retail for a long time and the young couple thought operating a store would be enjoyable.
They weren’t wrong.
“The store is something very personal to me,” said Mrs. Welch. “I feel I don’t have customers; I have friends. When I look back over the years, the friendships I have established have meant so much to me. This Saturday (during the anniversary
Kim and Dawn Welch
Mr. Welch originally spent more time helping run the store, but also started farming the same year the store opened. He proved to be too much of a farmer and outdoorsman at-heart to make retail his full-time gig, but continues to pitch in as needed, especially during busy times of the year such as holiday seasons.
“Kim is one of a kind,” said Mrs. Welch. “He’s been my biggest supporter throughout the years. Whatever I needed, whenever I needed it, he’s been there.”
The simple fact that The Dime Store still exists is an accomplishment on its own, but the fact that it has been successful enough to become a landmark and a part of the fabric of the community is truly something to celebrate.
According to Business Week, only around half of new businesses are still in operation after five years – and that doesn’t even include businesses that start with no employees other than the owners, which would make the statistic even grimmer.
In addition to the odds faced by new businesses in general, the dawn of the era of “big box” stores like Wal-Mart has led to many small town retailers closing their doors. Mrs. Welch lists staying competitive with the ‘big boys’ as one of her top two challenges, with the other being keeping inventory in stock.
Of course when Mrs. Welch speaks of keeping inventory in stock, she doesn’t simply mean keeping stuff on the shelves. She is always seeking to stock the store with items that she believes would be most beneficial and enjoyable for her customers – even if it means losing sleep to help local residents when so many of them were caught up in the “beannie baby” craze.
“That was one of the more memorable trends,” she said. “We have had customers lined up from the front door to the back door at 6 a.m. to purchase beannies.”
The store is classified as an “old fashioned variety store,” but in addition to items that would fit that description, Mrs. Welch has also kept up with modern trends like the “beannies,” and has also branched out by offering various services throughout the years – such as the current Alltel wireless service.
“Our business philosophy would go like this: We try to offer a good selection of merchandise at a reasonable price and the best customer service around,” said Welch. “We’ve been called the ‘Smallmart’ of Buena Vista, the Five-and Dime, and a few other catchy names. It’s pretty frequent customers will remark, ‘When I can’t find it anywhere else, I can come here and find it,’ or ‘If they don’t have it, you don’t need it’.”
They have seen many changes in 30 years. In the beginning, the first of the month was always the “big day,” when many customers would cash their check and make large once-a-month purchases. Now, there’s not a whole lot of difference in the various days of the month.
They were originally closed on Thursday afternoons and Sundays, but when they moved the store to its present location in March of 1993, the “Silver Moon” (country music location) was in operation and there was a big push to attract tourists to town. Wanting to do her part, Mrs. Welch started opening the store on Sunday afternoons to give visitors a place to shop. The big tourist push eventually faded, but she realized that many local residents enjoyed being able to shop locally on Sunday rather than traveling to Columbus or Americus, and she has continued with the practice.