When consumers shop small this Saturday, it’s a big deal for locally-owned businesses that thrive from the support on this day and, really, year-round.
Just ask Brian Beevers, the owner of Simply Local on University Avenue in North Park.
“Shopping local has a ripple effect across everything,” he told NBC 7. “First off, you’re supporting a local artist that spends a lot of hours and time on each product. Not only do you have a product that’s built with so much more love than a manufactured item, you have a product that’s supporting a family, directly. You have a product that is only locally-found; you have a product that is actually creating shops like this that support many artists.”
Beevers’ store is one of many small shops taking part in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24 – the Saturday after Black Friday that urges consumers to spend their money shopping for holiday gifts at local, independently-owned shops rather than big box retailers.
In North Park, stores like Simply Local, Pigment, Paw Pleasers and The Girl Can’t Help It are among those offering deals to draw customers on the big day.
At Beevers’ shop, the selection of unique goods runs the gamut – from handmade jewelry, leather goods, food and home décor to candles, essential oils, stationery and books written by local authors.
He said the money local artists earn from the sales of their products goes right back into the local economy, helping the whole community thrive.
Local
“They take the money they earn and spend it at another business here locally,” Beevers explained. “That’s our mission, to support small, local businesses as opposed to putting that money into some big box store that you’re just never going to see that money in your local economy.”
North Park Main Street Association spokesperson Angela Landsberg said the point of shopping small is quite simple: “Shopping local keeps your money local.”
“For every $1 you spend, 68-cents of that will stay local within the economy of North Park,” Landsberg told NBC 7.
And, she said, the benefits are far-reaching.
“North Park businesses employ local and it’s better for the environment to shop local. There are so many why shopping local is where it’s at,” she added.
As part of the nationwide Small Business Saturday movement, shoppers who visit North Park on Saturday may be rewarded with prizes including free shirts and pet care items. Shoppers are invited to bring their receipts to The Explore North Park book on Ray Street at University Avenue in search of possible freebies from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Small Business Saturday doesn’t just happen in North Park. Communities across San Diego County will highlight their local businesses including Little Italy, Hillcrest, South Park and Liberty Station.
In Paradise Hills, the 2nd Annual Paradise Hills Night Market, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Penn Athletic Field, will showcase local restaurants and shops.
The 4th Annual Adams Avenue Spirit Stroll along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., will highlight 32 independently-owned businesses in that neighborhood.
Happy (small) shopping, San Diego.
