Heart and soul: Local businesses prep for Small Business Saturday

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
LaVonne Falbo, owner of Statement Designs, located in the Bell Mansion in Bellwood, shows multiple stamp designs featuring snow flakes.

Locally owned small businesses will have their day in the spotlight next Saturday during the 15th-annual Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday is a marketing initiative created and promoted by American Express to encourage holiday shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the United States, during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. This Saturday is always the last one in November, so it falls between Nov. 24 and 30.

Small Business Saturday is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores, respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick-and-mortar businesses that are small and local.

The Blair County Chamber of Commerce is participating by becoming a Neighborhood Champion with American Express. Chamber digital media manager Brittany Mayer said the goal of the day is to remind people of the quality found in local small businesses so that they don’t just come out on one day, but consistently throughout the rest of the year.

“This allows us to get the word out that we have a lot of small business members who may have sales going on during the holiday season,” said Brittany Mayer, the chamber’s digital media manager. “Small businesses are what make our community.”

Several local businesses have been regular participants in the event.

“This day has become an annual tradition and a meaningful opportunity to connect with our customers by sharing our origin story and deepening our relationship with the communities we serve,” said President Todd Lewis of Shoe Fly Stores. “It’s a day we look forward to each year as it brings local shoppers, families and friends together, celebrating not only what we sell but also our journey of being small business owners and members of the community.”

Ashley Hinterberger, owner of Humble and Kind Boutique, said the store always welcomes new customers on Small Business Saturday who end up coming back as regulars.

“It is one of our best sales days of the year and helps us to keep our doors open,” Hinterberger said.

LaVonne Falbo, owner of Statement Designs, located in the Bell Mansion in Bellwood, said Small Business Saturday has always been one of the biggest days of the year for her business, which shares space in the mansion with Cosmic Charlie’s Coffee House and Main Street Mercantile. All are participating in the day.

Small businesses play an important role in the community, as some call them the backbone of the community.

“They generate jobs, contribute to the local economy and cultivate a spirit of innovation and personal service. At Shoe Fly and AppRunCo, we see ourselves not just as a business but as part of a network that actively supports and connects with schools, charities and local organizations,” Lewis said.

Small businesses serve as employers as well as supporters of the community around them. Hinterberger said her store carries other local items, as well as donates to schools and other local organizations.

“To really understand what small businesses mean to our communities, imagine what our neighborhoods would be like without them. Small businesses give our communities their character,” said President/CEO Kellie Goodman Shaffer of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, which is participating in a new promotion called Small Business Season.

“It is a national initiative among chambers of commerce to encourage not only shopping local on one day, Small Business Saturday, but also to support all kinds of local businesses throughout the holiday season, including retail stores, but also restaurants, service-oriented businesses, and much more,” Shaffer said.

Marcia Cumming, owner of MarCia’s Chocolates of Altoona, agreed with Shaffer, saying her business employs locals and then puts money back into the community. MarCia’s Chocolates also supports other small businesses by providing corporate gifts. Cumming said she often meets new customers who “found” the store because they were given chocolates as a gift.

“When a local business contacts us to provide corporate gifts for their customers it creates a positive loop. It keeps more money in the local economy, and it allows people to experience our products, sometimes for the first time,” Cumming said.

Travis Seymore, owner of Alto Markets, believes one business can attract visitors from different areas, which often leads to those customers shopping at other local establishments while in the region. He said his store welcomes customers from Blair, Centre, Clearfield and Cambria counties, who “also stop at other small businesses they don’t have in their areas.”

“Small businesses, in general, are a more personal experience than the larger stores in my opinion. Most of the time you can chat with the owners and the staff seems more like family than they do at the larger stores,” Seymore said.

That personal experience can’t be replicated by big box stores, according to Lewis. Small businesses often know their customers by name and can offer them a unique shopping experience each time they visit.

“It’s about more than just products; it’s about service, trust and a shared pride in the community that we’re all a part of. We have the freedom to personalize the shopping experience, source unique products and be there for our customers in ways that truly matter,” Lewis said.

Linzi Biesinger, owner of Altoona Beauty School, said small businesses take pride in the community.

“We live and work in the community, we are thankful for our staff, students and guests and make every attempt to provide five star customer service to each one of them,” Biesinger said.

Shaffer said there is a special personal touch when you deal with small businesses.

“There’s a level of customer service that you get when looking in the eyes of a shop owner and their local employees. They are our friends and neighbors, and they stand behind their products and services. Returns are easy, and local businesses stand behind the things they sell and the services they provide,” Shaffer said.

The Ebensburg Main Street Partnership is also promoting Small Business Saturday.

The partnership is sponsoring a “Shop Small Contest” for local residents. To enter the Shop Small contest, shoppers are required to spend at least $50 on Nov. 30h at small businesses in Ebensburg.

For every $50 spent, shoppers will earn one entry. Proof of purchase must be submitted, either by snapping a picture of a receipt and texting it to 814-619-6071 or emailing it to dkoss@ebensburgpa.com. Once the receipt is submitted, participants are entered to win one of six $25 gift cards to the Ebensburg small business of their choice.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.