Little Details Boutique | Longtime Garner business closing ‘due to tariffs,’ smaller margins

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) — Little Details Boutique has been a staple in the Garner community for 13 years, but just announced it would be closing its doors and is now in the process of liquidating its merchandise. It’s one of a few small businesses that recently made such an announcement.

Little Details Owner Jessica Throneburg says she couldn’t hold on anymore.

“It’s really hard because this business has been my baby,” she said. “I’m sad about losing this community because this is probably the one thing I’m most proud of is a community of women that we’ve built here.”

Throneburg says she’s been pivoting for years, but made the call to pull the plug on her beloved small business.

Factors included rising rent and product prices.

“The costs of our products have gone up due to tariffs and then our margins have shrunk. So at the end of the day, the math just wasn’t mathing anymore,” said Throneburg.

“I think that small businesses overall are struggling. When you look at big box retailers, chain restaurants, they tend to have better profit margins just because they’re negotiating their rate.”

Customer Beth Forehand stopped by this afternoon after hearing about the closing.

“I was very surprised,” she said.

Other Triangle small businesses have found themselves in a similar situation.

Vicious Fishes in Apex shared it was closing effective immediately, citing that the lease was up and it had hoped to continue there. The announcement followed the chain’s other closure in Fuquay-Varina.

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has been working to prop up the small business sector during the holiday shopping season.

It is now offering gift cards that can be used at more than 60 places and there’s also a new interactive map linking people to spots, such as Copperline Plant Company.

“The more that you’re able to kind of keep those dollar bills local, the more that we all continue to pour into this community, into this economy,” said Copperline Plant Company owner Anna Grace Fitzgerald.

“When you know the places that you get your gifts from and you know the people, there’s a lot more trust that’s built so you know that you’re getting an excellent product.”

As Throneburg gets ready to turn a new page and spend more time with her family, she is proud throughout the years she’s been able to raise $65,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and wishes that there’s renewed efforts for folks to spend their dollars locally.

“I can’t think of a single small business that isn’t struggling in some capacity,” she said.

Throneburg isn’t sure of an exact closing date. She’s hoping to liquidate all of her merchandise by the end of January.