‘Helping each other out’: Local entrepreneurs, shoppers to celebrate Small Business Saturday

For the last five or so decades, Black Friday has served as the traditional start to the holiday shopping season when customers flood big box stores at the crack of dawn to take advantage of some seriously discounted prices.

In recent years, the massive shopping bonanza has spawned other sales events like Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, which was created in 2010 by American Express to boost revenue for small businesses during this highly profitable time.

According to Shelby Monk, Diamond City Partnership event and marketing coordinator, Small Business Saturday is the perfect opportunity for people to support local businesses and strengthen the local economy.

To help drive traffic and highlight this nationwide initiative, The Diamond City Partnership will hold its annual Holiday Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

“It’s all local artisan craft vendors,” Monk said, noting that there will be homemade crafts, candles, soaps and more available to purchase.

The event previously took place at Midtown Village, but in an effort to expand, Monk said this year’s Holiday Market will take place inside the lobby of The Bank building at 8 W. Market St.

Over 25 vendors are expected to participate.

In Monk’s opinion, shopping at local craft vendors, especially for Christmas presents, offers customers a personalized experience they wouldn’t get at a bigger retail store.

“There’s something so unique when you get something someone made with their hands instead of a machine,” she said.

Additionally, there will be pamphlets available at the market so customers can see all of the sales local businesses will offer that day.

The goal, Monk said, is to encourage people to go out and support the many restaurants and shops downtown.

“We’ve had such an uptick in businesses recently. We want to shine a light on that,” Monk said.

the positive impact on local businesses

In the 15 years since the launch of Small Business Saturday, the marketing initiative has overall proven profitable.

Last year, American Express reported that spending during Small Business Saturday had reached $201 billion. People spent roughly 17 million in 2023 alone, according to an American Express survey conducted by Teneo.

Locally, the event has made a positive impact on downtown Wilkes-Barre.

“Small Business Saturday is critical for businesses like mine,” said Bee Hive Gift Shop owner Joanne Zarick. “‘It’s the jump start of the holiday season, and most of the small business that I know of, we rely on the holiday season to carry us through the slow times during the year.”

The store sells a variety of unique items and does gift wrapping for free. On Small Business Saturday, all regular priced items will be 25% off. A clearance tent will also be set up with items marked 60% off.

Bee Hive Gift Shop will host its own holiday vendor fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Dec. 14 at Midtown Village. Zarick said it’s her way of supporting fellow business owners in the community.

Events like Small Business Saturday help bring traffic into downtown, which Zarick said has suffered quite a hit in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve lost a lot of our walk-through business. People used to stop by on their lunch break, but that has changed for us,” she said.

Despite this, Zarick said her customers always come out to support the shop on Small Business Saturday and having Diamond City Partnership’s Holiday Market the same day helps drive additional traffic.

“It’s brought people into Wilkes-Barre in droves,” Zarick said.

For Rich Adams, owner of Around Town Bicycles, Small Business Saturday is less about the day itself and more about how it reminds people of the importance of shopping locally, especially since he said it’s only becoming harder in the digital age for small businesses to survive.

“Corporate entities — they have so much marketing and advertising dollars that they’re just killing it. During Christmas time, I can’t compete,” he said.

A business owner for 20 years, Adams believes there’s a lot of value in buying from local businesses, especially when it comes to products like bikes that eventually need servicing or repairs.

Located at 59 N. Main St., Around Town Bicycles on Saturday will offer 25% off e-bikes in stock and 10% off “pretty much everything else in the store.”

A business owner for 20 years, Adams believes there’s a lot of value in buying from local businesses, especially when it comes to products like bikes that eventually need servicing or repairs.

Amid a continued rise in chain retailers and online shopping, Adams stressed the importance of supporting small local businesses, saying it will ultimately make a positive impact on the community.

“People have to understand, when they buy from a chain, the money doesn’t stay in the area,” he said. “When you’re buying from small businesses, the money stays in the community. You’re directly helping each other out.”