It is that time of year again where everyone is looking for the perfect gift for their friends, family, and loved ones. After Thanksgiving, most people start working out their attack plan for Black Friday shopping. Many stores that offer special deals and discounts on that famous Friday actually open the night before, right after everyone has finished eating their turkey dinners. I personally have never been a fan of Black Friday, and the fact that most stores open on Thanksgiving night. I am a strong believer in spending as much quality time with your family as possible, especially on holidays. Many companies have started holding back their opening times until the actual Friday, which is comforting to see that some businesses do value family time. The holiday season is for family and making memories with your loved ones, but it is also a time to shop for them as well.
Two of the biggest shopping days for the holiday season are Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but I think the real unsung hero of the shopping spree madness is Small Business Saturday. It is the Saturday in between the two more infamous shopping days, where local communities encourage their residents to shop local and support the small businesses around town.
Over the past few years Small Business Saturday has become bigger and bigger in small towns all over. In Manchester, small businesses have stepped up their game too and offered more deals and discounts than ever before. Most restaurants along Elm Street offer discounted gift cards and promotions linked with other businesses, too. Every small business in the city has some type of promotion which encourages customers to stay and shop local. Not only is it a day for shopping local but also exploring local businesses that you might have never thought going to before.
Small Business Saturday is very important to the economic growth of Manchester going forward. Besides just new restaurants opening up, many more retails spots are being built which will add more variety to ever evolving downtown area. I think most people have forgotten how crowded Elm Street would get on a typical Thursday night 20 years ago. Most people would do all of the holiday shopping right downtown considering how many stores and retail options there were. I think that the downtown area has the potential to grow back into that era of small business and go even further. Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to shop outside of their normal realm of stores and go into their local art shop for something different. You might not always find what you are looking for but you will definitely find something you didn’t know was there.
Kick off your Small Business Saturday at The Bookery Manchester with Coffee and Doughnuts with The Mayor starting at 10 a.m. The first 15 customers will receive a free coffee! They will be also handing out “Shop Small Saturday” canvas totes and other promotional swag.
Here is a list of local businesses and their deals for Small Business Saturday: http://www.manchester-chamber.org/small-business-saturday-in-manchester-nh-2018/?fbclid=IwAR1B3pf7pNT_wPUb1Pup6wuDWddi_t1SDy8AJZlUgBdRh7XQzs0-XMX0qzc
Thanks for reading and until next time, live and be happy!
Ben Dion hosts The Weekly Dion live Thursdays at 6 p.m. on 95.3 FM WMNH, Manchester’s only downtown radio station. Follow him on Twitter @BenDionNH and @TheWeeklyDion. Contact Ben at theweeklydion@gmail.com
