Poopsie’s of Galena celebrating new online services

Poopsie’s of Galena celebrating new online services

GALENA, Illinois – Poopsie’s, a funky, fun retailer that’s been an anchor of Galena’s historic Main Street shopping district for more than 25 years, is holding a day-long celebration on April 20 to show off a new website and variety of online services.

Poopsie’s will help Galena kick off its traditional weekend celebration of President U.S. Grant’s birthday with Poopsie’s LIVE Day. Beginning at 10 a.m., there will be hourly giveaways both in store and online until 6 p.m., a scavenger hunt along Main Street and a series of fundraising activities for the Galena Art & Recreation Center (ARC).

Alana Turner, owner of Poopsie’s since 2010, realized that retailers have to rely on more than just being a destination stop on one of America’s best Main Streets. The new Poopsies.com site features:

  • A shopping selector that will use gender, age and interests to help visitors hone in on the perfect gift.
  • The ability to sign up for Poopsie’s LIVE, a new service with the convenience of Amazon but with your very own personal shopper. A Poopette, a Poopsie’s personal shopper, will remotely walk an online shopper through the store’s unique mix of items.

“We’ve worked really hard to make Poopsie’s more than just shopping, it’s an experience,” Turner said. “In today’s retail world, you need to have more than a good destination. We wanted our website to extend the fun of actually being in our store to our online experience.”

The continued growth of online shopping is challenging retailers large and small. As in any economic trend, brands that adapt survive. More than 92 percent of all shopping still is done at traditional “brick-and-mortor” stores though. Businesses such as Poopsie’s and the rest of Galena’s unique Main Street shopping corridor can compete and beat online retailers by offering superior customer service and a more personal shopping service, while using technology to increase its customer base nationwide.

Galena’s Main Street, which has been named one of America’s best Main Streets by Fodor’s Travel Guides and the Huffington Post, is the backbone of the JoDaviess County economy. So far, the shopping corrodor is holding up well in the new retail era. According to sales tax revenue figures from the State of Illinois, retail sales in Galena have risen six of the past seven years coming out of the Great Recession, with sales increasing by more than four percent each of the past three years.

“The retail business is always changing, and we embrace challenges,” Turner said. “Our online shopping selector and Poopsie’s Live feature will help us create new fans and followers. The fun in retail is trying to figure out what shoppers want and being able to deliver it to them, whether it’s in the store or online.”

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For more information about Poopsie’s, its history and retail philosophy, contact Alana Turner at 815-777-9999 or at alana@poopsies.com.
For more information about Poopsie’s LIVE Day and Poopsie’s new online features, contact Jason Todd of Thinker Ventures at 815-516-0500 or at Jason@thinkerventures.com.