Becky Gillette – Sun Fest Manager Brian Byerley said he isn’t sure where the name Sun Fest came from, but it does fit. There really is more sun at Sun Fest in Holiday Island. Last Sunday as it was getting dark in Eureka Springs, at Holiday Island it was bright and sunny again.
“We’re on top of the hill!” Byerley said.
Sometimes friends who live in the Holiday Island area who will ask, “Why do you come out here to shop?” There are plenty of good reasons, including the fact that Sun Fest gives seniors Sunday discounts.
“We do have quite a few customers in the senior citizen category,” Byerley said. “They like the five percent discount on Sunday. Sunday used to be one of the slower days and now it is one of our busier days. Retired people on fixed income do big shopping on Sunday and fill in the gaps during the rest of the week.”
Many retirees come to Carroll County from other areas of the country where they may be accustomed to bigger grocery stores offering more products. Sun Fest works to provide the wide selection of food and supplies those customers want, including beer and wine.
“We have one of the area’s largest small farm wine collections,” Byerley said. “A lot of the wine is bottled in Arkansas like Mount Bethel and Post Wines. Post Wines is probably one of our more popular brand wines. We also have a large selection of craft beers from all over the area. Several from the Fayetteville area, and some from Missouri.”
Prices are also a big draw. “In the produce department, we buy as much from local growers as we can during the season,” Byerley said. “That goes for anybody who has a small garden in their backyard to bigger growers in the area. It’s important to support local farmers and bring fresh produce to customers.”
Himalayan salt in bulk is a good deal – usually one must visit a health food store to get this superior salt. Byerley said the bulk foods purchased from an Amish company come in about every other week, and are quite a bit cheaper per pound.
Gluten intolerant and allergic to dairy? Four packages of Udi’s bagels cost about half what I paid at a health food store. Byerley said a while back they realized gluten-free foods were becoming a hot consumer trend as many have experienced bad digestive problems from gluten.
“A lot of people were in need of the gluten-free foods,” he said. “We started picking up what we could and it has steadily grown. We get our gluten-free products from a different warehouse than some of the smaller stores. So we get it in at a better price and pass those savings on to the customers.”
There are also good selections of seafood. A two-pound package of large, premium, wild-caught shrimp was about $16 and the prices on salmon were excellent. They had some bacon and sausage packages for only about $1 each.
“We just had a massive meat sale where you could buy a whole side of beef and our butchers would cut it into any size you needed,” Bryerly said. “Our meat sales have doubled this week from having that sale. All our meat is USDA Choice, which is a cut above what most stores do. It is higher quality.”
Then there is a deli and full-service bakery with a seating area for diners. “We have a full-service breakfast and lunch, and people can pick things up for dinner,” he said. “Our Aunt Minnie’s fried chicken is very popular. My wife prefers it over KFC. And our cake decorator Jennifer Cullen stays busy with a lot of weddings, birthdays and anniversaries.”
Unlike other industries, the grocery industry as a rule makes only a penny on every dollar spent in the store when you account for wholesale prices, labor and utilities.
“It doesn’t run on a high percentage like other industries,” Byerley said. “We try to keep our prices low. We also pride ourselves on being a great place to work. If you make your employees happy, they tend to spread that to customers. We pride ourselves on how we take care of customers.”
Another bonus is the large selection of bedding plants sold in the spring, and mulch and fertilizers that are carried throughout the growing season. They have a good selection of fruit trees at prices that beat most big box stores.
“We try to sell for a good price and we usually beat everybody’s prices on bedding plants and fruit trees,” Byerley.
Rods and reels and tackle at the grocery store? You bet. Gardening isn’t for everyone.
Another thing customers like is the convenience of going to shopping center where you can go to a hardware store, grocery store, post office and Fred’s.
Sunfest is open everyday from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.