HILLIARD, Ohio — The holiday shopping season is here, and it's much more vital to the survival of small businesses than you may realize. 

What You Need To Know

• MAK Home Furnishings in Hilliard is expecting a boost in business this holiday shopping season


• The Ohio artisan store is full of holiday decor and knickknacks


• The business is a small part of the revitalization happening in Hilliard

According to a new report by Constant Contact, holiday sales make up more than 25% of annual revenue for 1/2 of small businesses. 

It’s something even MAK Home Furnishings in Hilliard counts on this time of year.

“I just absolutely love to come in here and decorate,” said Karla Larson-Miller. “It is the best time of the year and our favorite time.” 

Larson-Miller owns MAK Home Furnishings. The Ohio artisan store is full of holiday decor and knickknacks. 

It opened in Oct. 2022, right before Christmas last year.

“No one knew about us,” said Larson-Miller. “We had just been opened not even a month before the Christmas holiday season, and last year, it was a slam.” 

But it’s a new year, and the store isn’t the only change this town has seen. 

The MAK Home Furnishings building was different.

“This building actually had been sat empty for a minimum of ten years, so they opened it up, and they redid it for four businesses,” Larson-Miller said

Larson-Miller’s business is just one of the four businesses currently occupying that space.

She also said the streets in Hilliard have also changed.

“The revitalization really started when they redid the sidewalks 15, 20 years ago,” she said. “Then all the food was revitalized. That kind of started the whole trend of all new.”

Hilliard is now busier than ever, and Larson-Miller hopes that all these new customers coming in now will keep coming back.

“We just hope that it just keeps revitalizing,” she said. “We want to be on the map for being one of the best stores. We hope to be around for a long time.”