Sandy Pena is at one of her store counters, entering inventory to soon be featured on her website. It’s early June and in downtown Weslaco the temperatures already feel like mid-August. Inside Lionel’s Western Wear & Boutique, Pena is upbeat and feeling the new possibilities in the midst of a pandemic. “I’m not depressed or dejected at all,” Pena said. “I’m optimistic about retail. I think there’s still a place…
The holiday season is around the corner and retailers at Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets are hiring. Area residents are invited to inquire about full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs at Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets’ Job Fair in the food court. Attendees are asked to come dressed to impress in professional attire and have copies of their resume on-hand. More than 25 hiring retailers will be available to interview candidates…
Deep South Texas is expected to see economic growth again this year, although the increases in activity may be a little smaller than the numbers for 2018, according to an economic forecast compiled by Salvador Contreras, director of the Center for Border Economic Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. “Texas had a strong 2018,” Contreras said. “This year may not be as strong but we will have…
One of the shops along Jackson Street in downtown Harlingen is a thrift store that not only recycles old clothes and other merchandise, it fosters new beginnings for victims of domestic family violence and sexual assault. The small retail outlet is operated by the Family Crisis Center of the Rio Grande Valley. “Repeat Performance generates revenue that comes back into the center to help us run the center,” said Laura…
You already know that you can build a business selling collectibles on eBay or ebooks on Amazon, but those are just a couple of the options out there for selling products and services online. From virtual services to physical products that use your own unique designs, check out these suggestions for things to sell online that you may not have considered before. Website Domain When you purchase the domain for…
Custom training for local small businesses is the focus of a Weslaco EDC grant. The $100,000 grant will fund South Texas College in providing training in retail, manufacturing and logistics through Sept. 30, 2019. A ceremonial check presentation took place Nov 1 for the partnership to increase both high skill and high wage jobs in the Mid-Valley region. “Workforce training is one of the biggest negotiators in today’s economic projects,”…
Kerry Schwartz discovered surfing at a young age growing up in the Rio Grande Valley. “Surfing was always my passion,” he said. “I even had a little surf shop in Brownsville in the 60s when I was just a teenager.” Today he owns and operates Island Native Surf Shop on South Padre Island, which he opened in 2003 when he retired. After college Schwartz lived in the Houston area where…