Saturday, November 22, 2014

Shop local on Small Business Saturday

          The West Side shopowners are  participating in the fifth annual Small Business Saturday, which is part of American Express’ Shop Small Movement, on Nov. 29. 
          The West Side has more than 100 shops participating in Small Business Saturday, which gives residents plenty of opportunities to support the economy of their own community. 
          Tom Akers, owner of Renew Bath and Body, 927 Elmwood Ave., is participating  for the first time, and is anticipating many customers. 
          “A lot of the other businesses say that their sales are three times more than usual that day,” he said. 
          The Shop Small Movement continues year-round, but Small Business Saturday is held specifically the Saturday after Thanksgiving to support small business shops and restaurants. In contrast to the traditional Black Friday, Small Business Saturday helps keep the focus on shopping local for the holiday season.
           Some of the many small businesses participating on the West Side include Quaker Bonnet,  69 Chenango St.; Shopaholic Fashionista,  425 Elmwood Ave.; Grant Fashion, 109 Grant St. and Guercio & Sons Inc., 250 Grant St. 
          Customers can show support and spread the word on Nov. 29 by taking a picture and posting it to any social media platform with the hashtag #ShopSmall. To find other participating small businesses on the West Side, visit http://shopsmallnow.americanexpress.com/ShopSmall. By Laney Hill and Stephanie Vogel