Pass Christian vendors share significance of Small Business Saturday

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (WLOX) – It’s a big weekend for retailers and an even bigger weekend for those that are small, locally owned businesses.

That’s because this Saturday is the official Small Business Saturday.

Perry Guy and Tami Curtis spend Saturday mornings meeting shoppers at the weekly Market in the Pass.

“I’ve totally changed my marketing plan,” Guy says.

“I don’t go wholesaling my books to Florida and Alabama like I used to. I do these markets, so it keeps me here local, and I do well here. People get a great value because I’m able to discount my books.”

Curtis is the painter, and Guy is the poet behind the painter and poet book series.

It’s a Gulf Coast-based small business that, like many others, depends on people wanting to spend their money locally.

“When you do that, you’re suring up not only that small business owner, but you’re suring up your entire community, your home, and your family,” Curtis says.

Shoppers make a point to visit the dozens of vendors at the market when they have a chance.

“I think people are appreciative when you take the time to walk into a store instead of shopping online or getting something that you could get from anywhere,” shopper Ellie Caswell explains.

Shopping small could be the answer to finding unique items that major retailers might not have… like the metal sculptures from Uniquely Original Artworks by Spencer Gray.

“Small business is the personal touch. It’s the hands-on, the mom-and-pop feel, that cozy warm feeling to just engage with your clients, your guests as they come and see your works,” Gray says.

“Major retailers, they are always going to have their investors and it’s always, it serves a purpose in the community for deals, but the local business and the small businesspeople that’s the heartbeat of any community,” Curtis adds.

While Saturday might be the official ‘small business day’, you can choose to shop small along the coast any day of the week.

To browse more work by Curtis, Guy, or Gray, visit these websites:

Children’s Christmas books | The Painter and the Poet

Tami Curtis, Southern Artist

Spencer Gray Jr. Artist

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