Small Business Saturday Brings Shoppers to Local Stores
The Storybook Room, the section decided to children’s books, at the local bookstore The Book and Cover.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Black Friday kicked off the holiday shopping season yesterday. Today, small businesses got their turn in the spotlight.
For small business owners, the presence of Small Business Saturday means everything. The National Retail Federation projected that 76 percent of those shopping on Thanksgiving Saturday would shop at a small business.
For Sarah Jackson, Emily Lilley, and Blaes Green, the trio that owns the Chattanooga bookstore The Book and Cover, the day gave them a chance to further connect with their customers.
Lilley said that, “As a small business, it’s an important day for us to get people in the store and get them shopping.”
On their approach to the day, Green said that, “We planned today around everyone in the community as kind of a celebration and to kick off the holiday season, and so there are activities for adults and children and everything in between.” Activities included children reading with the Buddy the Elf and caroling. Days such as these were the inspiration behind The Book and Cover’s creation.
Jackson explained that, “We want to spend time together. When we opened the bookstore we thought a lot about the community around books and there are a lot of other activities that also support that kind of communal togetherness, and Small Business Saturday is a way for us to do that!”
The steady crowd of people shopping at the store seems to be an indication that consumers crave a unique shopping experience they can’t get at a big box retailer or online.
Lilley noted that in our community, “Supporting your small businesses keeps your local economy vibrant, but it also keeps your community vibrant because it means you’ve got fun stores and fun spaces to be in that put on activities that are designed just for this community that happens because these businesses are able to be successful and so the holiday season is the most important retail season for any retail business. Making sure you are intentional about shopping small and shopping local during this busy retail season is super important for all of these businesses you like having in your neighborhoods.”
The Thanksgiving shopping weekend concludes with Cyber Monday.
