Retail 101:

"You can't run a retail business on office hours."

I could be wrong but I think a lot of the businesses were more a hobby than a real business open 3 days a week that kind of thing.
I think the restaurants that are opening and some newer businesses are more of a normal business, and some of the old ones also but they all have to be on the same page otherwise its not worth for like 1 store to stay open.

I am so glad someone brought this up! We at the Lilly pad did awesome business during the holidays, because we were open. I remember tourist stopping in asking where the shopping and dining is downtown Blue Ridge, only that I had to direct them to Murphy as everyone was closed! We also like to dine down town and maybe hist some of the stores for some shopping - of course nothing is open after 5:00. I was also disappointed with Light Up Blue Ridge - seems to me that not many of the retailers decorated or lit up their businesses!

Out of the Blue downtown did very well because they stayed open. Even the ones that always did good before are sort of in a Catch22 that they need to come out of they dont decorate , they are low on stock and they dont stay open because business is down but now that's is coming back around business is bad because they dont decorate , they are low on stock and they dont stay open.

I can tell you how my neighbor runs his business in downtown Blue Ridge. He depends somewhat on the patrons riding the train. He opens his shop in the morning so people riding the train can shop. After the train leaves, he comes home for several hours. When he hears the train horn as it's coming back from McCaysville, he heads back to his store to open up so people who didn't buy before will have a second chance when they get off the train. And I might add his business has nothing actually to do with the train.

I took my out of town guests to town while they were here. It happened to be Wednesday, Dec 30th and I was really surprised at the number of stores closed. That was the only day available for shopping, and the stores they were interested in, were dark and locked. One of the guests said, "Well, maybe they'll be open when we're back in another 3 years."

I don't see a big deal in the matter. Those establishments were probally operating that way before you moved here so whats the issue? The establishments in the cities in Florida and Atlanta probally don't close so early so theres always that option. I'm just a old country move in who has only been here for 13 years or so but I have never once complained about how certain places deal with their store hours. Lots of places in country towns arent open 24-7 like their god awful Wal-Marts.

First off, my family has been in Fannin County, and the State of Georgia since before the Civil War. My family was already here before most families got on the boat. One member of my family tree had stayed in another state after he was discharged from World War 2. I was born there. After serving in the military, obtaining a Masters Degree, and working 25 years for the law enforcement community, I retired and returned to my family home.

Second, this country boy drove into town to buy ammunition at the pawn shop on Wednesday at 1PM. They were closed. I came home and ordered it off the Internet from a gun store in South Carolina. The local pawn shop lost that money.

So here's the idea that started this discussion. The business owners whine that they can't make any money in Blue Ridge. And it's no surprise, as we are saying in this discussion, because the stores downtown stay closed more than they stay open. And you can't really make any money that way. So why does a pawn shop, or any other store close on Wednesday? Are they more interested in taking advantage of tradition to play whatever games they think more important than making a profit? Or - are they truly sinners and need to get to church to be saved?

If you're a business owner and your store is closed more than it's open, then you can't really blame anyone other than yourself for not making that pile of money you assumed could be separated from the tourists.

And those of us who actually attended distant universities or lived in other parts of the country or the world, have been enlightened to the options that have failed to be realized by downtown Blue Ridge store owners. I believe what the posters are saying is it would be nice to have establishments open on a more consistent or timely basis to provide the services for which they supposedly opened their business.

It would be nice to go out for a movie, then find a nice restaurant in downtown Blue Ridge for an enjoyable meal, and round out the evening by walking around downtown to maybe pick up an item for the cabin, or a present for a friend. Today, you need to do all that before 5PM, as that's when the sidewalks are rolled up. And it's completely unreasonable to suggest one travels to Atlanta or Florida to enjoy the pursuit of happiness that could so easily be found in downtown.

Correct...they need to stop complaining that business is slow, but they are closed during business hours. If they want to take advantage of new opportunities and make more money, they need to stay open longer. Simple solution!

Thank-you so much for this very important info. My downtown business is open all the time. Operating on a skeleton crew, I rarely have an opportunity to frequent other businesses. I had to go to a boutique for a gift this one time and noticed it was closed during business hours. There was no explanation as to why. I thought perhaps there was an emergency and no time to post a sign why they were closed. I dismissed this thinking this was the case. I am appalled to learn that other downtown shops are not open during normal business hours. I gave up a long time ago trying to get them to stay open past 5:00.

Now I know why my Mon. thru Thurs. business has been so adversely affected. Don't they realize the domino affect this practice will have on the future of Blue Ridge? If downtown does not thrive our entire economy goes down the shoot. How many times have you heard, "Once, I finally found your little town, your shops, the friendliness of its people, I decided I had to live here. There is no place like it!" If the downtown mentality does not change, these heartwarming feelings will only be a distant memory.

What empty shop? I got a shop on E Main and do not see any. I have a friend looking to start a business and cant find an empty shop. The Chicken Place was rented out within a week of moving out.
When business is busy we are open 7 days a week. But this time of year it is not feasible to be open all day for $25. I got enough to worry with my own business to mind someone elses.