Let's support Oxendale's like they have us

Mike Welch

I’m Mike and I own Nokomis Tattoo. I’ve lived in Nokomis East since 2013 and have had my shop since 2019. In that time there have experienced and seen a lot of ups and downs. I’ve had the good pleasure of making a lot of friends within the community. One of them has been Neil Oxendale the owner of Oxendale’s – one of the most giving people I’ve ever met.

During the pandemic NEBA (Nokomis East Business Association) had a t-shirt fundraiser for the local businesses who were being affected by the covid restrictions.

Neil reached out to me and wanted to double the order. He purchased the shirts for his staff and to sell in his store at the cost, no profit at all. That fundraiser raised thousands of dollars for our local small, struggling businesses, and was such a huge act of kindness during a stressful time.

Recently I was talking to Sarah Friedman, executive director of NENA (Nokomis East Neighborhood Association). She explained that, after the Annunciation school shooting, several of the preschool parents wanted to have their first get together at a local park. Oxendale's didn’t hesitate to donate money to provide drinks and snacks for the occasion. This was accompanied by pizza donated by Town Hall Lanes, Parkway Pizza, and Carbone's.

Neil has contributed to the neighborhood in many other ways, as well. He is responsible for helping to revive NEBA, which is helping to strengthen our small business community. He has planned block parties, donates the parking lot space to Nokomis Days every year, and many other things to give back to our wonderful community. Neil grew up in Nokomis East,and still lives here, and choose to start his business here.

As some of you probably have seen Oxendale’s needs our support now. The economy has us all tightening our wallets, which means less spending, and less daily customers going into the store. Jay Cina, a NEBA member who is in the restaurant and food business, says other factors that have put a lot of stress on independent grocers. “Many suppliers have tightened up their credit terms with customers. People that used to get 30- to 45-day credit terms have now been bumped down to 15-day terms. I’ve also heard some scenarios where when an order is placed, they immediately withdraw the funds from your business checking account same-day or within just a few days.” These put a lot of strain on small businesses that don’t operate on the large scale that bigger companies do and can. Oxendale’s is being affected by these and other economic stressors.
A lot of us are struggling in this economy and we all are faced with daily challenges of picking our battles. Believe me, I’m currently going through that, but I’ve made a commitment to go to the Oxendale’s at least once a week.

Our small businesses make our neighborhood unique, supported, and a community. I want to support Neil just as he’s supported so many others. Please consider doing the same.
Mike Welsh is a Nokomis East Business Association Board member.