Small Business Saturday 2020: Help Queens Retailers Stay Afloat

QUEENS, NY — Small businesses have been the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, making Small Business Saturday in 2020 more vital than ever. This year, the all-local shopping event falls on Nov. 28 including in Queens.

Independently owned boutiques, gift shops, mom-and-pop hardware stores, restaurants and the like are facing unprecedented challenges due to coronavirus-related restrictions and shutdowns.

The list of Small Business Saturday participants continues to grow, despite the pandemic.

Here are some ways to support local businesses and artisans in Queens:

• The Queens Craft Brigade is highlighting local artisans on its Instagram. Highlights include leather goods by Key and Arrow, children's clothing from Eddys Brand, sustainable Christmas ornaments by R+D and face masks and stationery by Ping Hatta Studio.
• At Shop Small Astoria's online retail crawl, customers who shop at five of the 10 participating retailers will get a free tote bag. Businesses in the crawl include the Astoria Bookshop, The Brass Owl and Lockwood.
• QED Astoria is hosting a 2020 Holiday Bazaar online and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Christmas.
• The Queens Museum's official gift shop includes limited edition art pieces that support the museum as well as Queens-centric items like the Queens Night Market's official cookbook, "The World Eats Here."
• The Queens Tourism Council is highlighting local makers with its #MyQueensCart social media campaign.

Did we miss anyone in Queens? Tell us in the comments and we’ll add it to the list.

Temporary closures, capacity restrictions, decreased demand for products and services and delays due to supply-chain issues have led to unprecedented challenges for small-business owners.

But the “Shop Small” movement continues amid these hardships.

“This holiday season looks a little different, but we can still share joy,” American Express, which established Small Business Saturday in 2010, said in a statement. “Shop small and support your favorite small businesses — both in store and online — all holiday season long.”

Sixty-two percent of small businesses in the United States need to see their sales income return to the same rate it was pre-pandemic before the end of the year to stay in business, according to American Express.

These businesses, many family-owned, were already fighting for survival against malls, big box stores and online retailers before the pandemic.

Since 2010, local business supporters have spent more than $100 billion on Small Business Saturday, according to American Express.

A Shop Small Consumer Impact survey from American Express before the pandemic found that 73 percent of people think empty storefronts are a national issue, and 84 percent agree the increase in empty storefronts and the closing of small, independently owned businesses negatively affect their local communities.

The survey showed that when consumers are aware of the impact of spending their dollars locally, 75 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a product or service from small, independently owned businesses.

For every dollar spent at a U.S. small business, approximately 67 cents stays in the local community, according to American Express. This helps independent shops and restaurants keep their doors open and meet pay for their workers — your neighbors.