Holiday shopping on target to set spending record
Vendors sell their products at Alberton Feed and Supply and offer unique gifts that can’t be found at large retail stores. Something Small Business Saturday promotes to encourage people to shop local. (Photo by Kathleen Woodford/Mineral Independent)
Local small business owner, Zelma Kromrey shows a heart to promote Small Business Saturday held on Nov. 26 to encourage people to shop local. (Photo by Kathleen Woodford/Mineral Independent)
A tractor made out of truck parts is a unique gift not found in box stores and encourages people to shop local. (Photo by Kathleen Woodford/Mineral Independent)
By KATHLEEN WOODFORD
Mineral Independent
A relatively new shopping day to hit the Thanksgiving weekend is Small Business Saturday. First observed in 2010, this day is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively.
Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick-and-mortar businesses that are small and local. It’s a registered trademark of American Express, which sponsored the first event in partnership with the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The day is promoted on radio, TV and on social media such as twitter and Facebook. Alberton resident, Zelma Kromrey signed up to be part Small Business Saturday to help promote her small business, Micah5five Jewelry.
She said she received a box filled with promotional items including 100 totes, flyers, balloons, pens, pins, banners, floor mats and paper hearts that read “Show love, #shopsmall, Small business Saturday, Nov. 26.”
She said participants can hold up the heart and take selfies with their cellphone and post it on Facebook or Instagram to further promote shopping local.
The items were distributed to small businesses around Alberton as well as at the holiday bazaar held at the school on Saturday.
“It helps local businesses to get shoppers to shop local,” Kromrey said.
Lakelands Feed store in Alberton has been promoting Small Business Saturday for several years. Store manager, Ruth Kulawinski said it helps but on Saturday most locals are in Missoula taking advantage of the large retail store deals.
“We carry a lot of unique ‘Made in Montana’ items. A lot of people know they are going to get something and come in and pick it up, but not necessarily on Small Business Saturday. Like last year, five days before Christmas all the honey was gone,” she said.
Unique gifts include honey products, gloves made out of old sweaters, horseshoes fashioned into Christmas trees, and tractors made out of truck parts. Along with food products like jerky and homemade garlic.
Kulawinski said the vendors take home a good paycheck in December since the store only keeps 20 percent commission. She said another promotion that has worked well for the store was when the local craft shows collaborated and had a map of participating businesses. Then patrons were given a card and when they came into a business the card would get stamped and they would be entered into drawings. This year that didn’t happen.
Gifts and some other products the store carries, are just “icing on the cake” regarding profits. Their bread and butter is dog food and other feed products said Kulawinski.
According to the National Federation of Independent Business and American Express, a record 112 million consumers shopped on Saturday, with a 13 percent increase over 2015. They also report an increase of awareness about Small Business Saturday from 70 percent to 72 percent.
Nationally, more than 6,700 Neighborhood Champions around the county rallied local businesses and created events and activities in their communities, which was a 63 percent increase over 2015. With a total of 480 organizations signed up to support the initiative.