With Small Business Saturday this weekend, local small business owners want residents to know that shopping local matters.
Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, this year falling on Nov. 26, and is a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA). Small Business Saturday was founded by American Express in 2010 and officially cosponsored by SBA since 2011.
Historically, the 2021 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey that’s commissioned by American Express and cited on the SBA website, reported that projected spending among U.S. consumers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $23.3 billion.
Jacksonville’s The Grazing Tray owner Samantha Prevatte said local businesses pour into the local economy and are the foundation of the local community. She added local small businesses are the ones that will not only give during a giving season but will continue to give throughout the year to local teams and organizations.
“Looking local first always matters,” Prevatte said. “It is so imperative to our local community. I truly believe that small businesses are the foundation of any local economy. The more we pour into our local businesses, and we look local first, the more people are going to be willing to implement their ideas and grow businesses which are just going to grow communities.”
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The charcuterie-inspired cafe is currently holding its Boxes for Bellies drive, an example of what small businesses can do for the community.
The focus of Boxes for Bellies is to help local kids struggling with food insecurity in Onslow County. The goal is to feed all 900 food-insecure children in the county, a goal The Grazing Tray reached last year.
“The majority of small business owners are focused where their feet are,” Prevatte said. “They will do the groundwork where they’re located and so, Boxes for Bellies is a perfect example. We’re a small business and as wonderful as it is to support these really large organizations; we’re starting where our feet are. When you shop local and especially get involved in rallying for the things that small business owners believe in, you’re making a direct impact in your community.”
Prevatte compared small businesses to what corporate companies like Walmart do with donations to the Child Miracle Network, saying although it’s great to give in those instances when you can, supporting local businesses guarantees a direct impact on your local community.
She said with Boxes for Bellies, every penny goes directly to the children.
“We all want to do great things on a much larger scale, but I constantly have talked about over the last year being where your feet are and that is where you have to start,” Prevatte said. “You have to start it where your eyes can see, and this is where that happens.”
Owner of New Bern’s Surf, Wind, and Fire Danny Batten said shopping locally is more fun and a better way to engage with the community. He added about 70% of money spent locally actually stays within the local economy.
“This helps keeps unemployment low,” Batten said. “Furthermore, densely clustered local businesses, like downtown New Bern, encourage walkability, reducing traffic and auto congestion. This is better for the environment.”
Shopping locally isn’t just about retail
Prevatte also emphasized that shopping local and small does not only refer to retail businesses.
“There are so many ways to shop local and I think that categories are often forgotten about because we tend to think like, boutiques,” Prevatte said. “Those things are incredible but don’t forget to shop your coffee, to shop your groceries, to shop your dinners with your families if you want to eat out and treat yourself, to shop all of that local as well.”
She added gift cards to local businesses to make great Christmas presents as well.
As local small businesses like The Grazing Tray continue to take hits from the struggling economy, Prevatte wants residents to know that shopping locally truly matters.
“If there is somebody in this community in need, it is going to be your local small business that steps up,” Prevatte said. “There is no application, there is no program you have to go to. Literally, I can name ten small business owners whom if someone was in need, I could send them to their door, and they would pull out of their cash register. It’s true. You’re not going to be able to go into Walmart and say hey, my family is in need and an employee can pull out of their register.”
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The challenges of being a small business
Being a small business owner also comes with its own challenges, which is why the support of the community is crucial.
Both Batten and Prevatte said hiring is a struggle. Prevatte said she will often get a really great team but then lose them due to the military. She said there has also been a lack of people showing up to interviews.
Batten said challenges for a small business owner are never-ending, but that it’s the dynamic of entrepreneurship that is both fun and demanding.
“We do not have a large labor pool in New Bern, so finding staff has been taxing for many years and has become more challenging following the pandemic,” Batten said. “Another big challenge is to keep customers on our sidewalks. We are in competition with all of the surrounding historic communities. How we promote our town, the energy we put into our restaurants and stores and the promotions/events we plan have a significant impact on all of our small businesses.”
The holidays
For those interested in participating in The Grazing Tray’s Boxes for Bellies, Prevatte said there is a link on their Facebook page where you can pledge. The pledge deadline is Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. There will also be an all call for volunteers to come together and pack up the boxes.
“It’s an incredible feeling and it’s just amazing to see the community and the hands and feet come together and just get it done,” Prevatte said. “I always put how much money, to the dime, that we raise. They know exactly what goes into each bag that each child will be receiving and then anything left over is directly donated to the CHEW program.”
Batten said Surf, Wind, and Fire will have specific merchandise for the holiday season that is locally created. They also have most products at promotional pricing for both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Holiday-specific drinks will also be available at their in-store bar.
“We offer unique, eco-friendly gift wrapping that is always free,” Batten added. “Shopping at Surf, Wind, and Fire this weekend will be both exhilarating and relaxing. We have fun and functional products for an outdoor lifestyle, and we offer a full-service bar so you can sip and shop. We even have a campfire setting in the store so you can relax in a camp chair with your family and enjoy a campfire.”
Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at [email protected].