HANFORD — Black Friday may be geared toward “big box” stores, but today is Small Business Saturday and downtown businesses are excited to show customers why shopping local is important.
“We need it,” said Tracey Brazil, owner of Castaways Consignments. “We need the advertising and we need to bring people downtown.”
Small Business Saturday is held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s a day to celebrate the small businesses in the community by shopping and dining locally.
Michelle Brown, office manager of Main Street Hanford, said all of the downtown businesses plan to be open from around 10 a.m. to around 6 p.m. on Saturday. She said many businesses will offer special discounts and promotions.
There will be a festive gathering at Castaways Consignments offering refreshments like orange juice, cookies and even some quiche.
Brazil said it’s always nice to see new faces in the store and to hear people excitedly say they never knew the store was there.
“Every year we’ve had this has been successful,” Manager Jennifer Puentes said. “A lot of people like to shop local.”
Brazil said she believes more people are shopping local because of the personalized service.
Puentes said the staff at the store is like family, which extends out to the customers as well. She said the customers like that the staff know many by name and greet them when they walk in.
Julie Freitas, office manager at Crossroads Appliance, said the store always has and always will participate in Small Business Saturday.
Freitas said it is “absolutely important” to support downtown merchants because they go the extra mile for the community to offer the best values that fit peoples’ budgets.
She said the big box stores may be “flashy,” but they will never take the time to get to know customers like the owners and staffs of small businesses do. She said anyone who purchases from a downtown merchant can be sure that they will get the help and attention they need even after the purchases are made.
“We’re attentive and we work harder for our customers,” Freitas said. “We remember them even after the sale.”
Jessica Szalai, owner of the Hanford Antique Emporium, said Small Business Saturday means a lot to her and other small business owners, especially because they tend to get overlooked by bigger businesses.
“This brings in people that may not always think of us first,” Szalai said. “A lot of people also come from out of town, and I enjoy being the person to meet and greet them.”
This is Szalai’s first year as an owner of the Emporium, but said even when she was just a vendor she would make an effort to go down to the store on Small Business Saturday and greet customers because she knows that the personalized feeling is important.
Szalai said most small business owners really make a point to talk with their customers, get to know them and welcome them back into the store.
“It’s always funny to see their faces,” Szalai said. “They get blown away that we remember them.”
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Szalai said, adding there will be cookies and other goodies for anyone who walks in.
To have a little fun this year, Main Street Hanford has added a selfie contest for downtown shoppers. Brown said all the customers have to do is visit downtown Hanford on Saturday and take a selfie at their favorite shop or restaurant.
After taking the selfie, they can post it to Main Street Hanford’s Facebook page with the hashtag #shopsmall. Brown said the photo with the most “likes” will receive gift certificates to various downtown businesses.
“It’s a chance for people to show their support for the community,” Brown said.
“We’re really proud to be a part of Small Business Saturday,” Szalai said. “I hope everybody comes downtown to see us.”
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