By Abby Walton
For the past 12 years, Chris Plopper has been working in the mattress industry. Two years ago, he decided to make a move to Zionsville.
“I was looking for a place to open up a store and thought Zionsville would be the perfect fit,” Plopper said. In August 2012, he opened up Village Mattress at 1231 W. Oak St.
“So many people just don’t sleep well so I really want to help people get a better night’s sleep,” he said. Although he’s had experience in selling mattresses, opening a new store isn’t always easy.
“I would say the major challenge for a small business like mine is creating awareness in the community that I’m actually here,” he said.
Plopper’s problem is one of the reasons why American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010. Celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, this shopping holiday was meant as a way to get shoppers out of the big box stores of Black Friday and off their computers on Cyber Monday and into their communities to support the businesses of their friends and neighbors.
“It’s tough for small businesses sometimes because we don’t have the budgets like big retailers do to advertise. So most of our business comes from word of mouth,” Plopper said.
This year, Small Business Saturday will take place on Nov. 30. On this day, small businesses in Zionsville will be open, many having special sales or deals.
“Many times people might think that with small businesses there are higher prices, but that’s not always the case,” he said. Plopper explained that unlike big retailers, he doesn’t have as many overhead costs and therefore can pass the savings on to the customer. Also, Plopper said by shopping local, people are keeping their tax dollars in their own communities.
“My customers are so important to me because I know them. I run into them in the grocery store or around town and I want to hear from them how they’re sleeping. If they’re not getting a good night’s sleep from something they bought from me, then I want to help fix the problem,” he said.
For more on Small Business Saturday, visit www.sba.gov.