Quincy businesses embrace community spirit on Small Business Saturday

QUINCY, Ill. (KHQA) — It was Small Business Saturday on November 30, and many places around Quincy participated.

Since 2010, the day after Black Friday has been a day of encouragement to shop local. In 2023 alone, nearly $17 billion was spent shopping local in the U.S. on Small Business Saturday.

One of the local businesses ready to go this year was Tri-City Sports and owner Tom Frese, who puts a big emphasis on some of the community engagement that shopping local brings.

“People really want to know who they’re dealing with. I’m greeting everybody that opens that door. Come in, you make relationships, know names,” Frese said.

Frese also believes Small Business Saturday offers a positive alternative to some of the chaotic Black Friday shopping experiences.

“You want to be in a good mood. You want to be happy. You want to have a positive vibe when you’re going out. You see, out at some of the bigger stores, the big lines, are just in a negative attitude. It’s nice when you come in here and you’re getting greeted, you get a smile, and you can have a nice conversation,” Frese said.

Meanwhile Domestics, Etc. owner Joy Berhorst thinks the day can bring both people and businesses together.

“Shop local Saturday is just a great way that we can tie in with the community and all of the small businesses in the community,” Berhorst said.

With her store being open for 28 years, days like Saturday have helped bring in generation after generation of customers.

“Being in business as long as we have, we have taken care of the grandmother. Now we’re taking care of the grandchildren, the mom. All of the generations that we’ve been able to meet and get to know our customers,” Berhorst said.