Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
With Christmas right around the corner, holiday shopping is in full swing. Many local businesses are gearing up for Black Friday sales in anticipation of what is easily known as the biggest shopping day of the year. What you may not realize is that there is another shopping day that is equally, if not more important than Black Friday. Small Business Saturday kicks off on November 26, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Small Business Saturday is a day set aside for locally owned small businesses to step into the spotlight. Most small businesses will be offering some type of special sale or promotion at this time. So, you might be asking yourself… “why do I need to support small businesses?” The answer is simple… because they support you!
Small businesses are often the ones that donate to your local charities, sports teams, and other causes. Just take a look around the next time my are at a ballfield or gym, and you will notice all the banners and signs up that has donated hard earned money to support our kids dreams. That’s locally owned small businesses supporting their community. Without the generosity of these locally owned businesses many of our youth’s programs, fundraisers, and sports would be doomed to fail. If these small business owners are willing to help support the dreams or our children, then we should be willing to support their dreams as well.
Without locally owned small businesses, a town would just be a neighborhood. It is the “mom and pop” shops that are truly the backbone of our communities. Local stores employ local people, who then spend money shopping locally, which in turn helps to create a thriving economy for the entire community. Why wouldn’t you want to support the small businesses around you? You don’t see big corporations chomping at the bit to sponsor your son or daughters’ baseball team or softball team or donate a portion of proceeds from the day to your school, or help those in need during their darkest of days.
Shop Small Business, A5
This Saturday, November 26, is your chance to help support those who support you by shopping local. Just check out this list of amazing deals, promotions, and vendor fairs from just a few of the locally owned shops/individuals that we all know and love.
Local Mercantile, located at 2030 29th Street, has some of the cutest clothing around and if shoes are your thing then you definitely don’t want to miss out on shopping at this unique boutique. They will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Door busters will be going on throughout the day, certain purchases will be eligible for giveaways, and for every $50 gift card purchased you will get a free $10 gift card. The Trinity Boutique will also be set up at Local Mercantile with its surprise sales and promotions.
Melanie’s Bowtique is the place to be for the cutest children’s clothes around. They will be offering a free holiday reusable tote bag to the first 30 shoppers, and for every $50 spent before tax you will get $10 off your purchase. Melanie’s Bowtique is located at 1536 Winchester Avenue, Suite 2 inside the historic Camayo Arcade. Bluegrass Collectables and Amy’s Art will also be set up at the Camayo Arcade on Small Business Saturday.
Pretty and Poised, located at 1601 Winchester Avenue, will be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and will be offering door prizes and hourly giveaways throughout the day. Get 30% off sweaters, jackets, and dresses from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and draw for 20%-40% off your purchase. The first 10 people will receive a free gift with purchase plus the first 30 people will receive Chery’s cookies.
Stop in at 1505 Winchester Avenue to find Christian Alexander Home for some great deals on some of the most gorgeous home items around. Get in there from 11 a.m. – noon you can get 30% off your purchase, from noon – 2 p.m. you can get 25% off your purchases, and then from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. you can get 20% off your purchases. Don’t forget to hop on over to Merle Norman and check out the amazing deals that they will be offering.
Holly B’s Jewelry & Gifts, located at 121 16th Street, offers custom made items perfect for those gifts that you want to have a more personal touch. You can also find some of the cutest jewelry around. Holly B’s will be offering 20% off your entire purchase during their Shop Small Business Saturday event.
The Lemon Frog Boutique is located above the Greenup Avenue Giovanni’s and offers a wide variety of high quality, unique, and affordable boutique clothing in sizes XS-5X. The Lemon Frog will be offering special promotions and giveaways throughout the day and will feature sales all throughout the store with up to 70% off. In addition to amazing prices the Lemon Frog Boutique will also be applying bonus amounts to all gift card purchases.
If vendor fairs are your thing, then you have plenty of opportunities and places to visit on Saturday. The Cinema at Camp Landing will be hosting a Small Business Saturday Craft and Vendor Fair featuring some of the areas most popular vendors. This event will be from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Door prizes and giveaways will be happening all throughout the day, gift card specials will be available for some of the most popular stores, and if you have your little ones with you, they can stop by and partake in some fun crafting time with Mrs. Claus.
The Edge Business Center, located at 1100 Our Lady’s Way in Ashland, will be hosting its 2022 Shop Local Holiday Market. This festive holiday event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature more than 60 local vendors for you to shop from. You are sure to find something for everyone on your list. Admission to this event will be $5.
No matter what your needs and wants are, chances are you will find the perfect gift this holiday season when you shop local.