Small businesses gear up for Black Friday, Shop Small Saturday
Salisbury, Md. – Holiday sales are well underway for big businesses but for small stores, shops and eateries, are ready for an influx of customers come this weekend.
Small businesses are gearing up for a weekend full of shopping after Thanksgiving. Each working hard on their displays and some of them offering big discounts and promotions to attract customers and keep money in the community for Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday.
Mitch Marriner is the co-owner of Delmarva Home Grown, a plant and cannabis store she runs with his wife, Leann Marriner.
“I’ve been doing all the hard work on ladders and hanging things, so it feels extremely magical,” Mitch said. “We want to give that magical Christmas vibe, you know, quaint plant shop downtown where you want to spend your money instead of a ‘dot com’ and support your local businesses.”
Leann said that though she also shops at big name stores and online occasionally, shopping small provides customers with a personalized experience they cannot get elsewhere.
“It’s definitely worth it and it’s magical. It’s more magical than being on a ‘dot com,'” she said.
Shop Small Saturday is another way some businesses are able to participate in connecting with customers and the local community.
“Black Friday we’ll have a sale going on all day, but our big deals will be Saturday on small shop,” Nicole Rogers, owner of Two Scoops Ice Cream & Waffles said. “We’ll have giveaways on Saturday. If you spend a certain amount, you get a free gift. I know a lot of the shops are doing that as well.”
She said that she hopes this holiday season, people are mindful to shop locally to support the community they reside in.
“Support the businesses that go out of their way to make a special shopping experience for you,” she said. “I mean, our favorite thing is to make the shop look fun and festive and talk to our customers and get to know the community.”
Stores, shops and boutiques are also not the only ones that can offer holiday gifts and experiences to customers. Ellery Beck, manager of Brick Room Market, a cafe in Downtown Salisbury, said the cafe will also have Black Friday sales and participate in Shop Small Saturday.
She encouraged people to look around and explore and said that a little creativity can go a long way to making holiday gifts special. Beck said Brick Room Market sells cheeses, hams, honey and olive oil that would make “a great charcuterie board if you know someone who would like that.”
She said that the biggest way to make a local impact is to go exploring, walking around town with loved ones.
“Remember that all of your local small businesses and downtown exist,” she said. “We don’t have to take over your regular shopping. You can still order some things here and there, but maybe plan a day where you come downtown and walk around and check out all the stores.”
