Black Dog Salvage prepares for Small Business Saturday

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – The holiday season is officially back in full swing with Black Friday shopping and Small Business Saturday.

If you’re looking to purchase unique gifts for your loved ones, Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke may have exactly what you’re looking for.

“We sponsor about 100 different vendors and artists,” said Mike Whiteside, owner of Black Dog Salvage. “From a potter, to a stained-glass artist, to a bowl-turner, we have pretty much everything.”

The 25-year-old business sells an eclectic mix of upcycled furniture, decorations, and art alongside other local vendors.

“The marketplace is full of individual owners,” said Jenny Prickitt, vendor at Black Dog Salvage. “Each of us rent our own space here and we have our own flair. Each of us bring our own things and Black Dog sells it for us.”

After being popularized by its reality show, “Salvage Dawgs,” store owners say it offers an experience like no other.

“If you’ve seen it on TV, it looks a lot different in person, and for the better,” Whiteside said.

Whether you’re looking for crafts, bags, or odd antiques, you’ll probably find what you came for.

“It’s wide open,” Whiteside said. “If you can’t find a present here, you don’t need it.”

But Black Dog Salvage is about more than its unique products.

“It really has to do with buying local—keeping what money you spend in our area, which helps the local economy,” Whiteside said.

Vendors say local consumers play a vital role in keeping small business afloat, encouraging the community to shop small this weekend.

“The community is huge for us,” Prickitt said. “I use to own my own business in Grandin. I’ve been with Black Dog for almost five years. To have locals shop with us is huge.”

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