Local Stores Hope To Lure Shoppers During Small Business Saturday

TAMPA, FL-For those who cringe at the thought of Black Friday’s door-buster crushes, endless checkout lines and tussles over the last Nintendo Switch, Small Business Saturday offers a more sedate holiday shopping experience.

For the seventh year, Tampa Bay’s locally owned businesses are urging shoppers to think small on Small Business Saturday. Nov. 25.

American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010, a national campaign to promote local businesses that get overlooked amidst the slick fliers and mega deals offered by national retailers.

It didn’t take long for the idea to catch on. Now Small Business Saturday is giving Black Friday and Cyber Monday a run for the holiday money. According to the 2016 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, 112 million shoppers supported Small Business Saturday last year, spending $15.4 billion.

Hoping to capitalize on the rising popularity of Small Business Saturday, neighborhood boutiques, specialty stores and gift shops are joining forces to draw shoppers to their businesses.

Small business owners in Seminole Heights have been decking their halls in preparation for the annual Seminole Heights Holiday Shop Hop, which received a publicity boost earlier in the week when U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor visited locally owned stores in the community to promote Small Business Saturday.

This year’s event will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Shoppers who visit the participating stores and get their Shop Hop Passports stamped will be eligible for prizes. At a party after the hop from 630 to 8:30 p.m. at the Graham Building, 6701 Florida Ave., there will be music, wine tastings and the announcement of the winner of a raffle to benefit the Lowry Park Zoo.

For more information, visit the Shop Seminole Heights Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/shophopseminoleheights/.

Similarly, the independent shops in downtown St. Petersburg hope to attract shoppers during its Shopapalooza event in South Straub Park, 198 Bayshore Drive. The free event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature unique gift items from 130 local stores, artists and food vendors. Sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg, the event also will feature music, acrobatics, kids’ zone, raffles and prizes.

Shoppers who visit the specialty shops at Hyde Park Village, 744 South Village Circle in South Tampa, Saturday will be eligible for freebies, BOGO deals, spin wheel prizes, discounts of up to 25 percent and a chance to win a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry from Albisia.

The Carrollwood Area Business Association is using Small Business Saturday to launch a year-round initiative to urge residents to “shop local, shop small.”

Encompassing more than 400 small to medium businesses, CABA is introducing a small business website, www.shop-tampa-bay.com, to help small business owners connect, share ideas and collaborate on special events.

The City of St. Petersburg will host its annual Shopapalooza on Small Business Saturday.

Image courtesy City of St. Petersburg