Businesses line Nashville Street, in downtown Ringgold, Ga.RINGGOLD, Ga. - Lily the Schnauzer set her brown eyes on her mom, Cindie Robinson, and in the nonverbal way dogs do, she said something.
Lily asked for a cupcake.
While Robinson, Lily and Deanna Bone were hanging out at Robinson's Ringgold gift shop, UNIKTINGS!, someone showed up, unexpectedly, with them -- four cupcakes.
It was Celeste Parker, a friend and former neighbor of Robinson's who works full-time as a nurse at Parkridge East Hospital and bakes on the side.
Parker was moseying by to leave a batch of baked goods for someone and thought she'd spring a spontaneous gift on Robinson, her friend and former neighbor.
It's just the kind of thing that happens around here, said Robinson: "That's the good thing about being in a small town."
It's why she loves it here, remains in business here after seven-and-a-half years of operating UNIKTINGS!, a specializer in monogrammed, heat pressed, sublimated and embroidered gifts.
Robinson is a self-proclaimed "military brat," spending time all over and eventually graduating high school in Thailand. She has relatives in Calhoun, Ga., which is why she ultimately landed here.
UNIKTINGS! recently had a re-opening after moving a few spots down Nashville Street from its old spot. Parker is confident about the store's future in Ringgold, though she joked about the decision to start here.
Foot traffic is picking up downtown, she said. As the city makes improvements to the strip, she's seen it. And besides, there are a lot of out-of-towners who drop in: folks from Cleveland, Chattanooga and Dalton.
Robinson sells a lot of jewelry, and Christmas is the busiest time of year.
It's harder than it looks.
"It's a lot of hard work," she said. "It's a lot of hours."
Two storefronts down from UNIKTINGS!, the Shireys -- also friends of Robinson -- are getting their first taste of life running a brick-and-mortar retail outlet, with the premier of their outdoor goods store, Above the Ridge.
The husband-wife combo has, for over five years, operated an online outdoor goods store.
In its infancy, online sales were good, and the Shireys built a solid national clientele. But she says that unlicensed folks who buy in-demand brand items and resell them out of the Internet's equivalent of unmarked vans have spoiled things for the folks who do it right.
And the Internet retail scene became saturated, "forcing brands to re-evaluate who could sell online only," said Brandon Shirey.
So the couple mulled growing their business into a physical location.
Transplants from Virginia Beach, Va., the couple believed Ringgold "was the right place" and now "the right time to open a store," said Brandon.
So far, though only a few days old, he said customer feedback at Above the Ridge has been positive. Shirey hopes the store will help Ringgold outdoor lovers stay outdoors, by saving them a drive to Chattanooga or Dalton.
"They might not have to run 20 minutes or 30 minutes up the street," he said. "Now, we help them get outdoors quicker by saving them time."
Joseph Brellenthin is happy to see it -- the premier of Above the Ridge and the staying power of UNIKTINGS! alike.
Brellenthin, director of downtown development with the city of Ringgold, said both stores embody the broader goal of revitalizing downtown Ringgold and the upswing that's already taking place.
"It's been a big year for us so far," he said, citing additions of parking, commercial property and the pursuit of state and local programs for downtown revitalization that have taken shape this year.
He said Ringgold is seeing "a ton more [improvement] than in years past."
With the Nashville Street commercial strip at the crossroads between the city's middle and high schools, the courthouse, the Ringgold Depot and a couple of city parks, Brellenthin said pedestrian traffic is good.
Streetscape improvements and a new pedestrian bridge across Nashville Street are poised to make it better, he said.
Brellenthin said Ringgold has been "very fortunate," because it hasn't had to tear down and pave over its historic district to draw visitors and tourists.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.