Shop Small on Saturday

n Local businesses see uptick in traffic during national campaign.

Courtesy photo An image of the poster for Small Business Saturday, which promotes shopping small businesses across the country and in Siloam Springs on Nov. 25.
Courtesy photo An image of the poster for Small Business Saturday, which promotes shopping small businesses across the country and in Siloam Springs on Nov. 25.

"Forget Black Friday" is the theme of "Small Business Saturday," a national campaign encouraging consumers to "Shop Small" during the holiday season.

American Express sponsors the initiative on the Saturday following Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when retailers annually are flooded with frenzied shoppers searching special deals. Locally, Main Street Siloam is among the strongest advocates of the Small Business Saturday movement because it "celebrates and promotes" businesses in Siloam Springs, and not just downtown. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

"We want to celebrate all small businesses in Siloam Springs," said Kelsey Howard, executive director of Main Street Siloam. "There are a lot of local businesses that should be frequented and celebrated. It's important to support your local businesses. We see it as an opportunity for businesses to connect with our community, and for our community to connect with our business owners.

"That's why we like to cross promote this event with the chamber of commerce. It's a unique opportunity to work together to represent the whole town because this is a citywide campaign."

Howard said "there always is a lot of free swag" like tote bags, posters, pens and "all sorts of cute paraphernalia," that American Express has equipped businesses with to help promote the event. Because it's two days after Thanksgiving, she said it's common to see families enjoying the day together as they peruse local businesses.

"It's the time of the year when you have a lot of families together," Howard said. "When people think of Siloam Springs, a lot of people think of our beautiful, historic downtown, so this is a special opportunity to show off your town to your family and show them the gem that is Siloam Springs.

"It's also a fun excuse to come and shop and take a leisurely walk around town while also getting to know the people who own our local businesses."

As an advocate for downtown, Howard believes in the message of the national Small Business Saturday campaign, but she said the word "small" doesn't accurately characterize "how big of an impact" locally owned businesses have on the identity of Siloam Springs.

In past years, Small Business Saturday has resulted in an uptick in traffic for local businesses, with overall turnout hinging on a few factors.

"Like everything, it depends on the weather and how much turkey they've had and how sleepy they are to get out on Saturday morning," Howard said. "It's become a great tradition and a fun tradition because it's a lot of families together and it's a way to intentionally support, and hopefully, shop at our local businesses." It means a lot to our businesses."

General News on 11/22/2017