Tag: Saturday

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Small Business Saturday shines a spotlight on local businesses | News, Sports, Jobs

Small Business Saturday shines a spotlight on local businesses | News, Sports, Jobs

T-R PHOTOS BY SUSANNA MEYER — Vic and Gayle Hellberg, the owners of Hellberg Jewelers, one of several local businesses that participated in Small Business Saturday in Marshalltown.

Small Business Saturday gives local mom and pop operations a chance to shine after the big shopping rushes of Black Friday at larger chain stores. Matt Gerstandt, the owner of Black Tire Bike Co said it had been a slightly slow day.

“Small Business Saturday hasn’t been gangbusters, but we’re running some select specials and we’ve had some good foot traffic,” Gerstandt said.

While it may not have been as busy as some would have liked, Gerstandt said the Holiday Stroll had a positive impact on business the previous week, jumpstarting the revenue a week early. He remains optimistic for the upcoming holiday season.

“Kids bikes have been great for availability, so we’re getting some of those families that have been patiently waiting for kids bikes. Some of those supply chains are loosening up just a little bit,” Gerstandt said.

Gerstandt also wanted to stress the importance of shopping locally not just because customers can feel better about where their dollars are going.

Matt Gerstandt, the owner of Black Tire Bike Co on Main Street, was happy to see the foot traffic in the downtown area on Small Business Saturday.

“Don’t shop local because it’s local, shop local because you’re getting better service,” Gerstandt said.

Another Main Street Business, Hellberg’s Jewelers, owned by Vic and Gayle Hellberg, was open for business on Saturday, and they were hopeful it would be a successful day.

“It’s definitely better than an average Saturday, so that’s the good part,” Vic Hellberg said.

The Hellbergs also participated in the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Bucks giveaway. Select businesses offered the opportunity to register to win Chamber Bucks of different values depending on the business. The Chamber of Commerce has sponsored this giveaway for several years running in an effort to incentivize shopping locally and to support small businesses. While Vic Hellberg has never asked customers if the Chamber Bucks giveaway was a motivation for them to come shop, he was certain it had an effect.

“I know that makes a difference to people. They do come down because our chamber does a good job for our community,” Vic Hellberg said.

Chamber of Commerce Director John Hall was enthusiastic about the giveaway, hoping it would be a helpful tool for businesses looking to gain more shoppers on Small Business Saturday.

“We know the value of small businesses, and the Chamber Bucks giveaway is one more tool to bring in more business,” Hall said.

The Chamber of Commerce partners with the Small Business Development Center, which provides the materials for events like these and ships them to participating businesses. Chamber Bucks can be redeemed at any business or organization that is a member of the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, and participating businesses can be found at www.marshalltown.org.

In addition to the giveaway, the Chamber of Commerce also partners with Shop Iowa, which provides a free online platform for small businesses to sell online. With resources like Shop Iowa, Hall hopes small businesses can thrive in Marshalltown all year, not just on Small Business Saturday.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or

smeyer@timesrepublican.com.


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Saratoga celebrates Small Business Saturday

Saratoga celebrates Small Business Saturday

One day after hitting the stores for the Black Friday sales, Saratoga Springs was crowded once again for Small Business Saturday.

Midway through an afternoon of Christmas shopping, Dawn Darkes and her daughter Charley needed a little something to warm up at the Saratoga Tea and Honey Co.

“We are big coffee and tea lovers, getting special drinks, that’s our thing when we go away,” Charley Darkes-Burkey said as she waited for her chai tea latte.

What You Need To Know

  • One day after hitting the stores for the Black Friday Sales, Saratoga Springs was crowded once again for Small Business Saturday

  • Some downtown shop owners reported their busiest Black Friday ever after many shoppers stayed home in 2020 due to the spread of the coronavirus

  • The co-owner of Impressions of Saratoga believes concerns of supply chain shortages and shipping delays may also be driving shoppers to local stores

Celebrating the holidays from out of town, the whole family was going shop-to-shop on Small Businesses Saturday.

“When I can I prefer to support local,” Darkes said. “I think local businesses have more customer service and awareness of their products. I also think the variety is there because they’re looking for more unique items for their shoppers, so I like it.”
“Oh my gosh it is the best, it’s the best,” Saratoga Tea and Honey Co. owner Haley Stevens said. “We are really lucky to have such a supportive community.”

Stevens says Small Business Saturday is always one of the busiest days of the year because the community goes out of its way to promote its local shops.

“When you support a small business it is very likely you are supporting many sub-small businesses,” Stevens said. “A lot of our vendors are local people, people who are making pottery, people who are making beeswax products so it’s been really wonderful.”

At Impressions of Saratoga, co-owners Mare Baker and Maddy Zanetti say this weekend is typically a bellwether for the entire holiday shopping season.

“It’s been very good and very busy, it started early too,” Baker said. “We are used to November being a little quiet in the beginning but that was not the case this year.”

Zanetti says global concerns like supply chain issues may actually be driving more shoppers into local stores.

“People got in the habit of buying local last year and they’re continuing that this year,” Zanetti said. “They want to know that they have the item they want to give in-hand, they don’t have to wait and worry about whether it’s going to make it in time.”

“We had our best Black Friday ever, it was great,” said Jennifer Marcellus, who opened Miss Scarlett Boutique 12 years ago. “We had a huge response both online and in-store.”

Especially after a tough year and a half of staying in business throughout a pandemic, Marcellus says it’s gratifying to see so many shoppers downtown.

“It’s been really great to see that so many regular customers have been back and have been throughout the pandemic and ordering online when we were closed down, that was huge for us,” she said.

As they made their way throughout downtown, many shoppers feel supporting local businesses is a great way to get into the holiday spirit.

“I think we’re finding it wonderful, lots of variety in the shops and a very quaint feel about the types of shops we’ve been shopping in and a festive feel with all the people around,” Darkes said.

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Area Businesses Ready For Small Business Saturday | News, Sports, Jobs

Area Businesses Ready For Small Business Saturday | News, Sports, Jobs

The Chautauqua Chamber of Commerce building is pictured in downtown Jamestown as the chamber gets ready for Small Business Saturday this coming weekend.
Submitted photo

Small businesses across the county are gearing up for Small Business Saturday, a day meant for focusing on shopping local.

Dan Heitzenrater, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said this year it is vital for area residents to focus on supporting local businesses.

“Small Business Saturday is an annual tradition as a part of the holiday season overall, but especially the shopping season,” Heitzenrater said. “The idea is for consumers to support their local community and try to spend some of their dollars locally, as opposed to the traditional Black Friday holiday shopping that is heavily drawn more toward big-box retailers. It’s an opportunity for people to go out, explore their communities and support the local smaller shops.”

Heitzenrater said the efforts are a nationally coordinated initiative by American Express. He added that there are various reasons to do holiday shopping locally this year, including keeping funds local.

“It’s more important than ever this year especially to support small businesses and participate in Small Business Saturday because, first of all, it’s an opportunity to shop safe with the continued, ongoing pandemic,” Heitzenrater said. “It’s typically going to be a safer environment. But, also, there’s a lot of question marks and consumer worry about the supply chain issues. Certainly, some of our small businesses are also experiencing those, but it’s not going to be to the scale likely that larger retailers might experience.”

He said those circumstances, in addition to the large economic hit many small businesses have taken over the past 18 months, are all the more reasons for area residents to get out to local businesses this Saturday and support their local community.

“In a general sense, just like any other year, when you shop small, 67 cents is estimated out of every dollar that you spend stays in the local community. That’s again money that is supporting in your community and then being reinvested.”

However, the benefits aren’t all financial, Heitzenrater said.

“When you participate in Small Business Saturday, make it an experience,” he said. “Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to go out and explore your community. You may have a few specific places you want to stop, but get an experience along the way – take family and friends with you, stop and grab lunch and sit down to take some time to really be in the community and enjoy the experience rather than just making it about a transaction.”

For those who can’t make it out to shop local on Saturday, Heitzenrater invites the public to visit the local business online shopping portal at www.ShopLocalCHQ.com that features various local businesses.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said local businesses are vital to the city.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy and part of what makes Jamestown so special,” Sundquist said. “After the past few years, it is important to reflect on the challenges small businesses face and celebrate their resiliency and contributions to our community. I encourage everyone to celebrate and shop at our local, small businesses not only on Small Business Saturday but every day.”



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