JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind (WDRB) - It used to be a Jeffersonville institution when it comes to throwing a party – and now it’s back.
Horner Novelty was feeling the crunch from online competitors like Amazon. Competition it is now working with.
The party store was once one of the largest in the world recently went from 31,000 square feet, to 12,000.
After 30 years along Spring Street in Jeffersonville, even rebuilding after a fire, Horner Novelty packed up and moved to a much smaller location on Allison Lane and kicked off its grand opening Saturday.
“So we scaled our building down, to fit the sales that we were doing and we are in a really nice place that we found here in Jeff,” owner Chuck Mattingly said.
One of the main reasons for the downsize was the competition located just four miles away. Online sales from Amazon were causing the mom and pop brick and mortar store to take a hit.
“The desperation for the whole year of ’18 was looking for a piece of property. We knew we were going to sell but we didn’t know where we were going to go,” said Mattingly, who is working with Amazon instead of against. “You can say ‘Amazon is the worst thing in the world’ but in business you have to address it and say ‘how can we make this happen for us and work for us?’”
And it’s working well.
The back of his new store is now a shipping facility for online orders.
Mattingly says his company’s online sales are only continuing to grow. Customers browse the retail store up front while online orders go out the back. Derby is second only to Halloween when it comes to business, with people buying everything from Derby confetti and posters, to Derby plates and silver plastic cups.
“So now we get the best of both worlds,” joked Mattingly.
After serving the Jeffersonville community for 30 years, Mattingly says his daughter will eventually take over, but the business is staying put.
“I think this store will carry us through for the next two or three decades and who knows what could come about for us,” he said.
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