Shop small. Help local businesses. Those are the top messages being delivered by owners of small retail businesses in the Quad Cities region as the holiday shopping season moves forward. One event that will help the shopping season move forward is Small Business Saturday, which falls on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, that […]
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Shop small. Help local businesses.
Those are the top messages being delivered by owners of small retail businesses in the Quad Cities region as the holiday shopping season moves forward.
One event that will help the shopping season move forward is Small Business Saturday, which falls on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, that day will be Nov. 30.
The shopping day tradition, now in its 15th year, is a good way to remind shoppers that small businesses in the community need your support during the vital holiday shopping season. The owners of many small businesses in the region say they are looking forward to Small Business Saturday. The day will help them keep their doors open and keep doing business in the community.
One of those businesses is a store that sells vintage merchandise in the Hilltop Campus Village neighborhood in Davenport.
“By shopping with us, the money goes right back into the community,” said Willy Lopez, one of the owners of the 563 Vintage, a small storefront at 1517 N. Harrison St., that sells just about all things vintage, especially clothing, games, hats and sports items.
Mr. Lopez gave this example of how the local money flow works when people shop at 563 Vintage: When people buy merchandise at the store, Mr. Lopez and the shop’s co-owner, Justin Omarrah, have the money to go buy other vintage items for the store. Most of those purchases are made at local estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores and any other location that sells vintage items they want for their store.
All that local shopping puts a lot of money right back into the community, Mr. Lopez added.
Other business owners and advocates agree. This Small Business Saturday is a good time for shoppers to help those many mom-and-pops stores instead of spending all their shopping budget on big-box stores and online retailers.
“When you ‘Keep It QC’ and spend your dollars locally, it supports our community. Every dollar we keep in the Quad Cities elevates our region. Small Business Saturday helps kick off the holiday season and we urge Quad Citizens to get out and support their favorites,” said Marcy Hyder, executive director of membership and events at the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.
Many of those favorite businesses’ owners are facing a lot of stress because of inflation, employee shortages and the hectic holiday shopping schedule. Now is the perfect time to help small businesses, said Andy Sokolovich, president and CEO of the business advocate group, Grow Clinton.
He added that shopping local and shopping small will greatly help the local community by keeping money in the community. A recent study for American Express — the company that created Small Business Saturday in 2010 — backs up that claim. It states that for every dollar spent at local businesses, 68 cents stays in the community.
“Shop Small is a year-round movement that supports small, independent businesses and calls attention to the valuable and distinct contributions they make to their communities and the economy. Shop Small celebrates small businesses ranging from retail stores and restaurants to fitness studios and salons, and everything in between,” according to information from American Express.
But the Shop Small movement is not just about financially supporting small businesses; it’s also about providing customers with needed goods and services. For instance, Mr. Lopez said his 563 Vintage shop vastly differs from big-box stores because he is always listening to the customers and gets vintage items for which they are looking. And at the Davenport shop, those wanted vintage items include sports-related goods, NFL shirts, college-related items and many T-shirts.
In fact, during a recent shopping trip in the Quad Cities, Mr. Lopez found two T-shirts that featured logos of the former rock band Nirvana. When they were new more than 30 years ago, the shirts sold for a few dollars each. Today, those old Nirvana shirts are in high demand and sell for around $1,200 each.
One of the reasons he got the old shirts is because Mr. Lopez is always listening to his customers.
Another great reason to support small businesses is because those businesses help support the community through goodwill and donations, said Donna Young, co-owner and artist with Isabel Bloom, the Davenport-based company that makes the iconic handcrafted sculptures.
“You will make a difference to small businesses and the community by purchasing as many local items as possible this holiday season. And we’ll support you right back. I don’t think Amazon will be donating to your trivia night fundraiser, but Isabel Bloom will,” she added.
The holiday season is vital to Isabel Bloom. Almost half of the company’s annual sales are made during the holidays, Ms. Young said.
The big-selling items at Isabel Bloom at the moment are Christmas-themed designs. They include sculptures of snowmen, Santas and a set of three mice named Papa, Mama and Junior.
Sculptures and other works of art are also big sellers at the Homestead Art & Studio in DeWitt, Iowa.
Store owner Sharon Larson said pottery, jewelry and original works of art are big sellers in her store. “People are looking for things they can’t find in the big-box stores,” she said.
Ms. Larson said she is also looking forward to doing big business on Small Business Saturday and during the holiday shopping season. Even though this season is vital for Homestead, it’s not a financial make-or-break season for her. The business has been “constantly growing” for the three years it has been open, and the art store has been doing good business throughout the year, she said.
“People are always looking for good gifts for friends,” she added.
When people look for those gifts and other items, they should first look at small businesses, said several business owners and advocates.
“Small businesses are the backbone of the local economy, and often the economic condition of a city’s downtown commercial district is an indicator of the city’s overall economic condition. In the time since last year’s Small Business Saturday, several businesses have opened in downtown Moline Centre including Arlo and Elm, The Atlas Collective, and Sound Conservatory at the Carnegie,” said Moline Centre Program Manager Kirk Marske.
In addition to helping businesses thrive and grow on Small Business Saturday and the rest of the year, keeping small shops alive helps give a community its character.
“Small businesses give a town its flavor. You can drive into any town our size and find the same chain stores and chain restaurants that you see everywhere. What makes a town unique are its mom-and-pop stores,” said Ms. Young.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY:
AT A GLANCE
- Since American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010, consumers have reported spending an estimated $184 billion at small businesses on the day. — U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- In 2023, consumers spent about $17 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday. — U.S. Small Business Administration
- 36% of Americans plan to shop on Small Business Saturday. — Driveresearch.com
- 54% of shoppers will spend money on clothing for Small Business Saturday. — Driveresearch.com
- There are about 33.2 million small businesses in the U.S. They make up 99% of all businesses. For the past 20 years, small businesses have accounted for about 40% of the U.S. gross domestic output. — U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- About 61% of holiday shoppers are likely to choose Small Business Saturday for holiday shopping. That compares to 56% of shoppers likely to shop on Black Friday. — Bankrate.com
- About 81% of shoppers surveyed plan to shop on at least one of these days: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday. Of those, 92% of both Gen Z and millennials are planning to shop one of those three days. — Bankrate.com
- According to an American Express survey, 68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S. stays in the local community. Also, every dollar spent at a small business created an additional 48 cents in local business activity as a result of employees and local businesses buying local goods and services. — Smallbizloans.com
