After experiencing the difficulty of getting everyday tasks done when she was seriously ill, one local small business owner wanted to create something to help others in town in similar situations.
Brittany Dunlap, owner of Errands ‘R’ Us, created the business to help people who are unable to make trips to stores, the post office or any other daily trip one might take, by going to those places for them.
When Dunlap moved to Pahrump from Ohio with her family, she was very ill.
She found it tough to get out of her home and get everyday necessities when they were needed so she wanted to ensure others who might have difficulties leaving their home can get their needs met without the hassle of make the trips themselves.
“I went through some serious illness the past couple of years and from my experience, I know getting out when you’re very sick is very hard,” Dunlap said. “So I started a small business aiming to help people in Pahrump get their errands done. Generally, it is just aimed at helping the people.”
Giving back to the area is important to Dunlap, as she said she’s found the area to be very generous to one another.
“I’ve never lived in a small rural town before, but it seems that people are a lot more willing to help each other here (as opposed to her hometown.)”
Dunlap splits her time between her business and a part-time job, but hopes business grows enough to where she could focus solely on Errands ‘R’ Us.
Being in the first month of operation, Dunlap is still growing her clientele list and she spreads the word through conventional and new-age techniques.
With the early growing pains, she had to pick up extra work as she waits for business to pick up.
“I have been doing a lot of advertising on Facebook,” she said. “It started to pick up, but it didn’t grow as fast as I hoped so I ended up taking my part-time job in order to be able to support myself.”
Not only open to catering toward individual needs, Dunlap said that she is open to working with businesses to help them get their daily runs when needed.
“I won’t discriminate between individuals or businesses, I am open to helping anyone who needs it,” she said.
With the amount of seniors in town, Dunlap said that she sees a service like Errands ‘R’ Us as an important one, as many of the elderly population aren’t as mobile as the younger demographic and plans to use that to hopefully add more clients to her list.
“I plan on getting in touch with some of the assisted living facilities in town and maybe the hospital to get the word out there about my services,” she said.
Errands “R’ Us is available for service from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday Dunlap is open to working extended hours if needed. Dunlap charges $5 for every half-hour of service and she said most trips take about an hour.
To welcome in new business and let valley residents see what Errands “R’ Us is all about, Dunlap is running a promotion giving any new customer a 10-percent discount on their first errand run.
If you have some errands you need help with or want more information on Errands “R’ Us, give Brittany Dunlap a call at 775-537-4224.
Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.