Owner Nancy Lee said the storefront is closing but the business will continue to operate online and at wine festivals, where Lee sells her merchandise every weekend. She makes more money through the festivals than she does through her store, she said.
Specializing in the sale of novelty items related to drinking alcohol, such as painted wine glasses and shirts, Always A Happy Hour originally opened in June 2010 in the Williamsburg Outlet Mall. In October 2012, the store relocated to the Premium Outlets on a temporary basis.
Lee said she relocated her business from the Williamsburg Outlet Mall because business was slow. She said the business at the Premium Outlets has not been terrible, but the last quarter was rough because of the election, Hurricane Sandy, the fiscal cliff and other things that contributed to people tightening their purse strings.
“I don’t know how people survive,” Lee said of small-business owners. The taxes, insurance, employee cost and other fees associated with owning a business are so great in number, it makes more sense for her business to not have a storefront.
Always A Happy Hour moved to the Premium Outlets under a temporary agreement. Currently, there is no set date for the business to close but the owners have a tentative date for closing in mind.
Lee said she has loved working with the Premium Outlets management team “but you’ve got to move on and do what’s best for your business.”
Lee is selling all the store’s fixtures on Craigslist. None of the store’s regular merchandise is discounted because the business will continue outside of the storefront.
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