By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
As tinsel and poinsettias take center stage this year, we all know the COVID-19 pandemic will force the holidays to have a different look.
Small Business Saturday, the popular shopping day sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, may be a movement made even more important for businesses trying to make up for the shopping days lost when they had to close in the earlier days of the pandemic.
The American shopping holiday held the Saturday after Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, Small Business Saturday was started by American Express in 2010. Meant to be a counterpart to Black Friday, when big retail stores promote “incredible” sales, and Cyber Monday that features e-commerce stores, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick-and-mortar businesses that are independent and local. Small Business Saturday is a registered trademark of American Express.
“It’s very important to shop small, especially this year,” said John Buzza, instructor in Monmouth University’s School of Business management department. “Mom-and-pop stores are having a very difficult time staying open, especially with the proliferation of people shopping online.”
Understandably, Buzza points out, shoppers may be reluctant to go into crowded malls and stores to shop in person, even if they can keep socially distanced and take other precautions. “Especially when shopping online is so convenient,” he said.
“Dominoes became Dominoes because of one word – delivery,” he said.
“But It’s important for us to realize these small businesses are what make up the community we live in,” he said. “Small business is the backbone of America.
In Red Bank, small businesses along Broad Street will be able to take advantage of the last weekend of the season when the streets are closed to vehicular traffic in Broadwalk and many shops and restaurants are set up outside.
“We’re still doing a number of programs,” even with pandemic protocols in place, said Laura Kirkpatrick, executive director of Red Bank RiverCenter. She said more than 100 businesses are participating in Small Business Saturday. “This a is a real opportunity for Red Bank businesses to showcase themselves.”
RiverCenter is helping promote the day with an elf scavenger hunt where local stores adopt a Red Bank elf and place it in their stores. “Folks go around town and write on a paper where they saw the elf and what the elf was doing,” said Kirkpatrick. “Last year the elf was spotted in 30 locations.”
A new initiative for Red Bank is Artists Sunday, a national shopping movement the Sunday after Thanksgiving, that will encourage consumers to shop with artists and crafts people. It will be an opportunity for local artists to showcase their wares or their works and for visitors to come into town to buy art or see art. Some local artisans will have booths set up on Broadwalk.
“We’re taking it day by day,” said Susan Belfer, marketing director of Garmany clothing store in Red Bank, about planning activities and attractions for Small Business Saturday and the rest of the season. “We’ve advanced our holiday windows and on Black Friday we’ll kick off the season. We’ll be serving prosecco for clients, and we’ll pipe in holiday music.”
Belfer said Garmany, like other businesses, are abiding by COVID-19 safety guidelines. “We know it’s a tradition for a lot of families to shop here at holiday time,” she said. “We’re staying positive and bringing holiday cheer to the community.”
Members of the Fair Haven Business Association decided this year in the time of social distancing while shopping, small shops could benefit from more than one “shop local” day.
“Shop Four Fun Saturdays All Holiday Season Long,” Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, will enable shoppers to come out and find deals throughout the season rather than worrying about fighting crowds on one day.
“Our town is quaint and most of our shops are not large. We hope this will alleviate the rush of the one Saturday event,” said Chelsea Delaney, owner of Sadie James Boutique, chair of Fair Haven’s Shop Small Saturday.
In addition, gift baskets will be raffled off each week and there will be a scavenger hunt. “People in communities like ours, where you have smaller downtowns, are really coming back to their community and reinvesting in their towns,” she said. “This year, more than ever, I think shopping local and shopping small is really important.”
“Let’s support the guys and gals that are in our towns and neighborhoods,” said Monmouth University’s Buzza. “They’ve been struggling since March.”
Otherwise, he pointed out, “We’re doing a disservice to these small businesses.”
The article originally appeared in the November 19 – 25, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
