"Cash Mob" Targeting Local Retailers Struggling to Stay Afloat

These are tough times for small business.

Last fall, Early Works Toy Station on Petaluma Boulevard North closed and Crackerjax, the children’s clothing store on Kentucky and Western is getting ready to do the same. This month and announced that they too were folding shop, after battling sluggish sales for years. (Starstruck Boutique will now be an online retailer.)

Then, Drew Washer, owner of , an eclectic toy and gift store on Kentucky Street, posted a message on Facebook asking friends and supporters what she could do to perk up sales.

Melissa Abercrombie, a mother of two (and a Petaluma Planning Commissioner) saw the message and decided to do something about it. Inspired by a news story she read of a small Ohio town holding a “cash mob” to help a hardware store struggling to stay open, Abercrombie sprung into action.

She contacted a friend, Elaine Elwick Barr, who created a Facebook page for a Petaluma Cash Mob at HeebeJeebe, which will now be held this Friday and Saturday. The organizers are enc ouraging everyone to come to the store and make a purchase, even if it’s under $20.

“We need to raise the profile of some of our stores, especially ones that set the tone for our community,” said Abercrombie, who is also a children's art instructor and runs an online jewelry boutique. “If we want these businesses to stay open, we have to do something about it.” 

Abercrombie says she is a huge fan of HeebeJeebe, which not only sells toys and gifts, but has a small gallery in the back and become a platform for artists in the community.

“Drew has raised the profile of so many emerging artists, just plucking them out while they were teenagers and giving them a chance to show their work,” she said.

Washer says she hasn’t yet spoken to the organizers of the “Cash Mob,” but is shocked and humbled by the idea. Washer opened HeebeJeebe in 1999 “on $2,000 and a credit card” and has since then expanded to include a seasonal Halloween store. Her store also has funky and much-loved features like an old-fashioned black and white photo booth and Champion, a coin operated Wild West pony.

But the last three or four years of business have been brutal, with reduced foot traffic and sales.

“If you don’t have cash flow, unless you’re rich, you can’t keep on restocking your store with new inventory,” Washer said. “In my store, people can browse and you never know what you can find…there are many clever and inexpensive gifts. But now people can shop from their iPads, they don’t need to go anywhere anymore.”

Abercrombie says she wants “Petaluma Cash Mob” to become an ongoing event, with supporters flooding a local retailer who needs help on a rotating basis. And while she knows that it takes more than one day of strong sales to keep a business open, she says a good infusion of cash is always appreciated.

“I think that the social equity goes a long way,” she said. “Plus, it’s a good way to lift all of our spirits in a dumpy time.”

Petaluma Cash Mob will hit HeebeJeebe, 46 Kentucky Street, this Friday and Saturday. For more info, check out the group’s Facebook page.

Are you concerned about so many businesses closing in downtown Petaluma? What can the community do to help?