One-of-a-kind finds and community connections: Shopping locally provides perks not found online

As the holiday season approaches, retailers are gearing up for the busiest time of year. Shoppers are prepping their lists, searching for the best deals and perfect gifts. It’s likely that many of those gifts will be bought online, as online shopping and big box stores continue to grow. The number of people who shop in person is decreasing, in part thanks to the convince of shopping online and the competitive nature of pricing online.

But what do you miss when you shop online and forego exploring the shops located right here in Fort Wayne?

Of course, shopping locally means adding more dollars to the local economy. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for every dollar spent at a small business, an average of 67 cents stays in the neighborhood. But the experience of shopping locally means more than the money involved. It’s a personal experience that builds community and creates a unique shopping fingerprint for the region.

Sharon’s House of Victorian Gifts, 634 W Berry St, Fort Wayne, IN 46802Community is an important aspect of business to Sharon Scrogham, owner of Sharon’s Victorian House of Gifts. Interactions with her store’s visitors are the reason her business exists.

“I meet somebody new every day,” says Scrogham. “That’s part of why I started the shop. I knew that after retiring I would miss all those connections with all those people.”

Scrogham was the building secretary for Anthis Career Center before she and her husband purchased the Victorian house on the corner of West Berry St. and Broadway. Since then, it’s involved into an eclectic shop that mixes antiques, handmade pieces and Fort Wayne history.

“We have things that you can’t buy on Amazon,” says Scrogham. “Things that we painted, or made or searched for. I have antiques, vintage things, things you’d never find on Amazon. You get to touch things. You get to see things.”

The store has become an outlet for Scrogham’s artistic side. Purchases are packaged in bags that she’s printed, painted or collaged into charming, seasonal pieces that add to the experience. Near the front of the shop, customers can find cards depicting classical Fort Wayne scenes, like crowds listening to music at Freimann Square during Christmas time or the University of Saint Francis’s Bass Mansion.

“I paint [the cards] in watercolor and they’re huge then we reduce them down, that way you still get all the details in the faces,” says Scrogham. “So I sell these and hope people will send them to people and that would bring more people in.”

Sharon’s House of Victorian GiftsScrogham focuses less on how much people spend while at her shop and more on making customers feel welcome once they come in. During Downtown Fort Wayne’s Holly Shopping events, she’s known to offer a warm beverage and a sweet treat. 

“At Christmas time, we really draw people in because that’s when they run the trolleys,” says Scrogham. “I like to stay with tradition so I make Wassel. People can stop in, they can shop, they can just warm their hands with a bit of Wassel and a cookie.”

Sharon’s Victorian House of Gifts isn’t the only local retailer with a community-minded attitude either. The Urban Hibbie has spent years cultivating a community that has supported the business through many changes.

“We’ve always liked to be kitschy, we’ve never looked like a usual boutique,” says Tammy Castleberry, owner of The Urban Hippie. 

The Urban Hippie is a boutique that specializes in “hippie bohemian clothing at affordable prices”, according to their Facebook page. The store has remained in Downtown Fort Wayne their entire 13 years of operation, beginning with a small studio on Fulton, growing into a storefront on the ground floor of West Berry Apartments and eventually making their final move to The Landing two years ago.

“At West Berry we kind of became a place for people to try and find our little hole-in-the-wall space,” says Castleberry. “When we moved to the Landing, we had to change the way we operate a bit for the new clientele. We had to really rely on different forms of events and things to pull people down to our new location.”

The exterior of The Urban Hippie’s new location at 111 W Columbia St Ste 101, Fort Wayne, IN 46802.Social media has become a large part of how The Urban Hippie draws new customers over the years. It began in 2020, when, while interviewing for models, Castleberry met TikTok influencer Dena Reilley, who had over 200,000 followers on the app at the time. Reilley joined the team as a model and took over the social media presence for the store.

“During that time frame when [Reilley] grew our TikTok, even though brick and mortar was kind of very hit and miss at that time, the online just skyrocketed,” says Castleberry.

Reilley eventually left The Urban Hippie but social media remained one of their largest advertising platforms. The store’s TikTok account has nearly 400,000 followers and their Instagram page has 33,000 followers. This has grown not only their online sales but their in-store profits alike. Castleberry attributes some of the store’s success to their continuous dedication towards maintaining their unique brand.

“Everyone tells us it’s just kind of an eclectic place that men like to come into as well as women,” says Castleberry. “They’re enamored by the space. They’re enamored by the vibe.”

According to Castleberry, The Urban Hippie has cultivated a loyal, consistent customer over the years who has stuck with the store through moves and changes alike. She says being aware of your customers and community is key to staying afloat in a changing retail landscape.

“People will always shop other places, that’s not really the issue,” says Castleberry. “It’s that you make sure you stay relevant for your audience and loyal to what they want. Those things are what builds your customer basis, the things that sustain you through all those crazy times.”

Inside The Urban Hippie’s new location at 111 W Columbia St Ste 101, Fort Wayne, IN 46802.One of the biggest ways The Urban Hippie has been able to build their customer base is through local events, like Small Business Saturday, a yearly event highlighting small businesses before the holiday season, is always a hit.

“The Holly Trolley’s Small Business Saturday is our biggest day by far, it’s always pandemonium,” says Tammy Castleberry. “It’s just crazy. Shoulder to shoulder from the time the first trolley dropped off to the last trolley at the end of the day.”

Marian Waltz, resource coordinator for Friends of the Third World, says their downtown business was ignored for a long time, but the prioritizing of small businesses by Downtown Fort Wayne, once known as the Downtown Improvement District has changed that. 

“We were in business for many, many years and we were always ignored,” says Waltz. “But when the Downtown Improvement District opened, that changed everything that’s downtown.”

Friends of the Third World is a collection of multiple projects under one roof– as shown by their series of signs in front of the store. They offer printing and copying services out the basement, mailing services, a community library and more, but they’re most well known for their fair trade goods.

Friends of the Third World“Back in 1972, nobody had heard of fair trade, before it was fair trade it was called alternative trading and alternative marketing,” says Waltz. “And before that, it was just being a good steward of the Earth’s resources and not taking more than your share. It was helping people get a decent price for their beautiful, hard work. They’re sharing their culture, they’re sharing their soul.”

During its 51 years of operation, the nonprofit has built connections both with organizations and with communities in third-world countries, to bring ethically made products to consumers while ensuring profits are going back into the communities the goods come from.

“Nobody’s getting ripped off,” says Waltz. “We’re supporting the environment. We’re preventing child labor. We say it’s the gift that gives twice, or even three times. The person buying it gets the feeling they’re doing the right things, the person receiving it gets a beautiful, homemade gift, and the shop makes a little money on it.”

According to Waltz, it’s this strong value system that keeps customers coming back. Amazon storefronts rarely advertise the people behind the production. Shopping with Friends of the Third World, you know exactly where your purchase comes from.

“We have videos of the coffee producers and the tea producers,” says Waltz. “People can see the actual workers picking the coffee cherries. We’ve learned a lot about how coffee is grown and we get to show people that.”

Friends of the Third WorldFriends of the Third World, Sharon’s Victorian House of Gifts and The Urban Hippie are a small part of the bustling small retail community fostered in Downtown Fort Wayne. For shoppers wanting a cultivated, community-based, and value-oriented shopping experience this holiday season, the heart of the Summit City is the place to be.

This story is made possible by support from Downtown Fort Wayne.