In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage, some local business owners are faced with a new decision: whether or not to open their doors to same-sex couples.

Lubbock Chamber of Commerce President Eddie McBride told EverythingLubbock.com that it is “business as usual for members of the community,” and that no guidelines or directives have been issued to businesses.

Many business owners have said they will not change business practices following the Court’s decision.

“Love everybody,” said wedding planner Tammy Maxx, owner of A Night to Remember. “I’m not here to judge.”

The manager of Sweet Celebrations, said “If a customer is courteous to me, I’m courteous back.”

Jill Leven feels the same way. Leven owns Eat, Drink, and Marry. She calls the Court’s ruling “great.”

“Love is love,” Leven said. “If anyone needs help planning their same-sex wedding, I’m more than happy to help.”

Karen Downey disagrees. She operates Karen’s Kakes out of her home, as a cottage business. She tells EverythingLubbock.com that she will not offer her baking services for a gay wedding. Downey implores other like-minded Christians to unite and stand up for what they believe in.

“I am a Christian, and the reason why I do custom wedding cakes out of my home is that I can give people a personalized cake, said Downey. “I also don’t do cakes for Bachelor parties or anything that is lewd. I refuse to do that because of my personal beliefs. As my beliefs, I would not feel comfortable doing a cake for a gay couple.”

Downey uses her faith as a main basis for why she does not support gay marriage, adding that she’s concerned many Christians will stay on the sidelines with the issue.

“I don’t know if Christians are scared to speak up,” she said. “I know, as far as Texas being a conservative state, we voted not that long ago to ban gay marriage in the state of Texas. So, where are all those people that voted? I think that Christians need to stand up now, or we’re going to be silenced.”

“My hope is that Christians will unite together, and stand up for what we believe. Obviously, the gay community has fought very hard for what they believe, but I don’t want their beliefs to become silenced. I don’t think that’s very fair for one group of people to oppress another. It goes both ways,” said Downey. “I just hope that if there is a gay couple that would like a cake, and I refuse, that they would go elsewhere, because there are going to be businesses that are going to accommodate them. I hope that they don’t retaliate. They want to be tolerated, so I deserve equal tolerance and being able to express my beliefs and my wishes and not be retaliated against as well.”