AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -Small businesses across western Mass. are giving shoppers more options to save money and support their local economy by celebrating Small Business Saturday.
For The Mercantile in Westfield this will be their first Small Business Saturday. They hope to keep local dollars local in their holiday shopping debut.
“It’s good for the economy of the city and all the money stays in the city a little bit, that’s what we think is good about it,” explained Dan Cook, chief picker for The Mercantile.
Down the road in Agawam, Coopers Gift Shop was experiencing a steady stream of customers to kick off the holiday season.
Abbe McLain is a longtime customer at Cooper’s. She told Western Mass News that shopping small gives her a better shopping experience than she would find at a big box retailer.
“Personalized service, for one thing, great products. I think with the big box stores you can’t always depend on the quality. with a small business, you get what you need,” she said.
Shopkeeper at Cooper’s, Kate Gourde told Western Mass News that in order to compete with large retailers, small businesses have to constantly engage with their customer base to attract holiday shoppers.
“They need constant reminders, it’s very easy to get caught up by the big glossy ads, that you see on the computers, but it’s small businesses that make our local communities thrive,” Gourde said.
Gourde added that this time of year is important for some small businesses because holiday sales could determine whether a small business keeps its doors open.
“It’s definitely an indicator of how the rest of the season is going to be. If people had been more educated each year about what Small Businesses Saturday is and what the importance of small businesses are and know what the community is,” she said.
gourde is urging shoppers to keep an eye for out holiday deals at local businesses before shopping at larger chain stores.
“The local community has always been very good to us. We’ve been here for almost 50 years and we have a very loyal following. we always come in droves for Small Business Saturday,” she said.
In 2021 American Express reported Small Business Saturday had a record high $23 billion in sales.
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