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Get in the ho-ho-holiday spirit this November by taking a festive and productive day trip to Des Arc, Arkansas. You can surround yourself with all the sparkle and joy of the upcoming season at the Guess & Company Warehouse on West Main Street for their incredible annual sales event that has become the largest Christmas sale in the South.
It’s time to grab a friend, wear your shopping shoes, and take off for the Delta.
As you walk into the Guess & Company warehouse, you can find everything needed to craft a merry setting for your home or business. Paul Guess, the master designer behind the items on display, is delighted for guests to discover treasures amongst 60,000 square feet of festive fabulousness that opens this weekend and runs throughout November. Guess has a passion for designing and creating, and finds great joy in bringing decorations, gifts, ornaments to trim the tree, and gems to light up your home – all pieces brought to the public at wholesale prices. His tendency to overbuy and overdesign is a gift for thousands of customers during the holiday season.
“This is what it is about: the experience with others.”
His goal is to bring people together and provide the tools for them to create an atmosphere of warm and loving memories with their family and friends, just the way he says his mom did for him.
Born and raised in Des Arc, Guess has a soft spot in his heart for this place that helped shape who he is today. His mother put up multiple trees in their home as she decorated and created an atmosphere of holiday magic that turned into wonderful memories for their family. After a time away working in pharmaceutical sales, Guess was drawn back to his Delta roots and his hometown, one of the oldest river ports in Arkansas.
An early life of holiday nostalgia and traditions is what led him and his brother, Dondie Guess, and Dondie’s wife, Cindy, to create a unique Christmas décor shopping experience, giving back to the town that gave Guess his upbringing. Here he found and followed his true passions, and notes that Guess & Company wasn’t planned; it was serendipitous.
Before opening to the public, the family hosts a two-night, ticketed VIP sales event with all proceeds donated to Des Arc High School business and entrepreneur classes. This year, the event raised $6,000 for the school to purchase new computers and a computer lab. Guess wants Des Arc youth to be inspired in their education and encouraged to do anything that they want, even if coming from a small farming town in Arkansas.
The town’s population of 2,000 gets a big boost when the warehouse comes alive with guests. Thousands of travelers from several surrounding states embark on an adventure to experience this Christmas venue and the energy and community it offers. In preparation, staff must expand the warehouse to fit all the products and accommodate shoppers who anxiously await their chance for a merry, bright and most wonderful time of the year. Just six years ago, without any advertising, Guess & Company held their first sale, the success coming solely from word-of-mouth passed around by people who loved the event. From there, it has grown. This year’s expected 30,000 visitors is double last year’s attendance, making this month-long extravaganza the definitive holiday wholesale wonder not to be missed.
The Guess & Company Warehouse Event opens to the public on Nov. 2 and will be open every weekend until December 1. In addition to the shopping opportunity, experts from around the country will be present, sharing their vision and knowledge in free workshops for warehouse sale customers.
Meet Paul Guess on the Guess & Company website as he adds videos to let you in on all the latest news, new products and best shopping tips.
While in Des Arc, make plans to check out other wonderful businesses such as Dondie’s White River Princess, Snow-White Dairy Bar, TJ’s Country Kitchen, The Lily Pad Boutique, Lynn’s Flower & Gift Shop and The Junk-Shun.
Header photo courtesy of Jason Masters
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2 responses to “Guess & Co.: All Things Merry & Bright in Des Arc”
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The VIP event was so fun! Great job Amanda. It was a pleasure to meet you.
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