Locally owned Lawton businesses prepare for Black Friday

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - As Black Friday is just over the horizon, multiple small business owners throughout Lawton are making sure they’re prepared for Friday morning.

“Part of it is making sure we have things in stock, that we’re friendly. I’d say that’s one of our biggest differences,” said Kindra Dunning.

Dunning is the owner of ‘A Full House Resale’, and has been operating in Lawton for the past 12 years. She said taking part in Black Friday is a huge opportunity to connect with your customers.

“I think it’s just really important to give back,” Dunning said. “We as a small business are able to give back, and I think that’s important to our community.”

“It’s very important that we participate just so the consumer knows we want to be apart of this town and part of the shopping experience for them,” added Eddie Hamra, the owner of Edward’s Men’s Wear.

According to him, the retail staple in Lawton hasn’t always participated in Black Friday because it didn’t exist when they first opened, but now they shop months in advance.

“We are able to find some items that we can bring in for Black Friday specials,” Hamra said. “Most of our companies try to offer something that we can offer a lower price to our customers with.”

But what sets small businesses apart from big box stores? According to both owners, it’s customer service.

“We love to chit-chat with our customers. We know most everybody by name and we really try to help find what they need,” said Dunning.

“I mean how many stores do you walk into that’s a box store that you’ve got to chase down somebody to help you,” Hamra added. “Here, we will be willing to greet you when you come in. If you want to shop we give you room to shop. If you have questions we will more than likely be able to have the answer for you.”

So as local business owners try to make customers feel like family while they are shopping, they believe it’s just as important for customers to hold onto that family like spirit and come back over and over again to shop local.

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