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When it comes to the Christmas shopping season, there are a few dates that really stand out.
One is Nov. 1 — for many years that always seemed to mark the unofficial opening of the season. That’s no longer the case, and we now see advertisements and in-store promotions popping up right alongside the displays for Halloween in the middle part of October.
There are a couple of more dates that stand out, and they all will come during the next eight days or so — Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
All are important for businesses and consumers on different levels.
While some of its impact has been dampened, you still find countless specials and once-in-a-year deals on Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving — as the shopping season shifts into high gear. The focus then moves to online deals on the Monday after Thanksgiving with Cyber Monday — Nov. 27 this year.
What local businesses, the ones run by your friends and neighbors, hope, however, is that you won’t forget about Small Business Saturday, which comes the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Created by American Express in 2010, it’s the day when the spotlight can really shine on the smaller shops and restaurants that really are the lifeblood of the community. That’s critical, officials with area chambers of commerce say.
“The chamber has a big shop local initiative for the holidays,” said Kate Sedgmer, president of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. “But, it’s something we do all year long.”
According to American Express and the U.S. Small Business Administration, which became a co-sponsor of the initiative in 2011, U.S. consumers spent an estimated $17.9 billion on Small Business Saturday last year. And those dollars can make a big difference.
“Shopping small is something we promote all of the time — we don’t want it to be one day of the year, we want it to be every day,” said Brenda Mull, president of the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce. “When you support your small businesses, you support your communities, taxes stay here and local people are employed.”
That’s important. As Chris Ferruso, the Ohio director of the National Federation of Independent Business, writes, for every dollar spent at a small business, 67 cents will stay in that community. And, he adds, each of those dollars leads to an extra 50 cents for local businesses, as their owners and employees support other local businesses.
He continues that 99 percent of the businesses in Ohio are small businesses, which employ 45 percent of the state’s workforce.
“We’re the first people to say there’s a lot going on in mom-and-pop stores throughout Jefferson County,” Sedgmer added. “The only way they can stay open is from the support of the community as a whole.”
Customers themselves are recognizing the importance of shopping small. Numbers compiled by Bankrate show that 61 percent of holiday shoppers plan to be out on Nov. 25, while 56 percent plan to shop on Black Friday. And, Bankrate adds, 72 percent of shoppers are planning to shop at a small business this year — that’s an increase of 7 percent.
Among the many reasons shoppers list for shopping at small businesses is the quality of service small businesses can provide.
“I think one of the benefits of shopping local is finding unique and interesting items and presents vs. something that is kind of commercial,” said Eric Fithyan, president of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce. “A lot of the local shops do something personalized and can help to individualize the process.”
Small businesses, Sedgmer explained, truly are the lifeblood of our communities.
“They are everything,” Sedgmer said. “Typically, when we have large companies who want to move into the area, they will drive around town and see what their employees will be doing around the area, where they will shop on the weekends and what restaurants there are to eat at. That’s important for the future of the community.”
Those who run local businesses also know the importance of giving back to the community, something area residents should not take for granted.
“I think small businesses understand that it’s the customers who keep them in business,” Mull said. “When they are offering specials and doing promotions, they are doing what they need to do. It’s up to us to support them.
“There are a lot of businesses that people rely on to sponsor events. If they are going to support us, we have to support them. You can’t just go into a business and ask for a gift card or sponsorship if you haven’t been in there to shop.”
Fithyan and Sedgmer agree.
“That’s very important. We see that a lot through the chamber — businesses offering sponsorships and showing their support for teams,” Fithyan said.
“We want people to stop by our local businesses all year round, not just when they are looking for a gift card for an event or a sponsorship for a youth athletic team,” Sedgmer added.
“We have one of the best business communities you will find across the United States. Most of our businesses understand they need to give back to the community,” she said.
Sedgmer said the Jefferson County chamber is looking forward to Small Business Saturday and the holiday season. That will include a special Elf on the Shelf that will be traveling around the county. The chamber’s annual holiday open house, she added, will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Froehlich’s Classic Corner at the corner of Fifth and Washington streets in Steubenville.
It’s timed to coordinate with the annual Steubenville Lights Up the Night event. Hayrides, courtesy of the Steubenville Cultural Trust, will transport people to and from the restaurant and Fort Steuben Park, she added, and copies of the chamber’s Shop Local Coloring Book will be available.
As the three chamber executives said, Small Business Saturday is important because it calls attention to the positives that happen when you shop locally.
“I know we have Small Business Saturday, but it’s something we need all year round,” Mull explained. “That keeps small businesses growing and continuing. That’s how this country was started — with small businesses.”
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)
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