The Tioga County Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the shop’s new site at 165 Main St. at 12 p.m. Courtyard Gifts has been open to the public since Aug. 1.
Owner Bruce Potter has owned Courtyard Gifts for 21 years, selling fine jewelry and odd gift items at its previous site at 163 Washington St. in downtown Binghamton.
Potter tells BJNN he decided to move into a bigger space in Owego in neighboring Tioga County, because it offers a better retail environment for mom-and-pop stores and feels “like a Norman Rockwell painting.” He expects to double his sales in the Owego location.
The new store is 1,200 square feet, twice the 600 square feet Courtyard Gifts had in Binghamton.
Potter says he hired Binghamton–based contractor, Doug Hoffman, to do the renovations at the new location, which he funded with company cash.
Potter says he does not yet know how many employees he will hire in Owego.
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