GOWANDA — With the effort to bring customers inside doors of small town community stores this weekend for Small Business Saturday, one local shop dedicated year-round to promoting such merchants will host its grand opening.
I’ll Drink to That Promotions, open for more than a year but recently moved across the creek to 10 Jamestown St., will host its grand opening celebration from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26.
“I’m a new company; I’m a baby,” she said, noting she opened her business in October 2015. “I’m going through the growing pains but I’m having a blast doing it.”
And she is also excited for Small Business Saturday, a nationwide event that focuses attention on local shops like hers and the ones she helps promote.
“It’s super exciting,” said Kim Deming, owner of the business, about Small Business Saturday. “I’m really hoping Gowanda does really well. We are trying to promote people to come here instead of going to the mall. There’s so many stores right here.”
Deming’s business is a unique one. Her spacious location allows her to host events while still keeping a vast inventory of goods from local vendors, artisans and direct sales companies like Avon, Tupperware and Stanley Home Products, among others.
“I’m a gateway to any direct sales company you need,” she said.
Customers can come in and order from direct sales companies or browse the selection or products already available there.
I’ll Drink to That Promotions moved from 4 East Main St. in the same building as Gowanda Eye Care. She had no qualms with the location personally, but it served more as office space than a full-scale showroom-style shop.
“This is a huge, beautiful building,” Deming said about her new location. “There’s two windows and there’s a storefront. We just had an office (on East Main Street). No one knew we were there unless they knew we were there. Exposure here has been tenfold.”
In addition to the selling of goods and promotion of small businesses and artisans, Deming also allows others to utilize the space at her new location for anything from birthday parties to business meetings.
The space, already surrounded by a collection of direct sales company products, can also be useful as a site for launch parties for other such products.
The room also allows her to host events like paint nights.
“We’ve had some of the local group homes in for painting socials during the week,” she added.
The final aspect of her business is promotions and event planning. Deming recently organize the psychic fair held earlier this autumn in town.
The grand opening event on Friday and Saturday will feature a prize wheel, vendors and popcorn, and additional food and soft drinks will be available for purchase.
For more information on I’ll Drink to That Promotions or any of the services Deming offers, call 532-3836 or 480-5008 or search “I’ll Drink to That” on Facebook.
