Following the retail onslaught of Black Friday, consumer groups aim to focus buyers on local merchants and independents.
Advertisement
The smell of local restaurants cooking up menu masterpieces filled the air as shoppers looked through the many shop windows.
The event starts with a champagne brunch at The Padre Hotel, followed by shopping at 17 local downtown stores, and ends with more champagne and a drawing at the Marriott Hotel.
“We like to decorate with a lot of vintage stuff, so we incorporate that in our business and home; and we like to repurpose”, said Parks.
“Anything that’s local that helps the economy grow local, then that’s going to help everyone that lives in that community”, says Kathy Ward, John Ward Interiors owner. The box stores have their place; they’re a great convenience too. But they still know the effect can last long after day’s end. “Support the mom and pop businesses that are the back bone of our community”, said Linda Lee Bell, Owner of Out of the Box Gifts.
American Express which is the founding partner of Small Business Saturday, said 88 million Americans got out and shopped “small” on this day previous year.
Main Street in Grand Junction was flooded with customers shopping locally to local businesses for Small Business Saturday. I feel like it brings the town together- it brings people together. The owner of Don Jenkins Jewelers says he’s been there for 28 years and has seen more and more businesses and specialty shops come into the area.
According to the US Census Bureau there are 424,000 small businesses in Louisiana; which means jobs for 900,000 people.
You hear the most about small business Saturday two days after Thanksgiving, but with American Express’s partnership, every Saturday is small business Saturday, It encourages people to get out and shop local.
Advertisement
“We like to support the little shops downtown”.
