After Thanksgiving and after Black Friday shopping at national big box chains, shopping malls and online retailers, the focus shifts on Saturday to local, independent businesses and nonprofits for holiday shopping.
Shop Small Saturday got its start as a national promotion in 2010 when American Express featured the importance of small businesses to bring more holiday businesses to independent shops during the Great Recession.
In Hopkinsville and Oak Grove, nearly 40 businesses are participating in Shop Small Saturday with support from the Christian County Chamber of Commerce, the Hopkinsville Small Business Commission and the Downtown Renaissance District.
“In a world increasingly dominated by big-box chains and online megastores, the simple act of choosing to ‘shop small’ carries more power than ever before,” chamber president Taylor Hayes, Downtown Renaissance director Holly Boggess and city staffer Diane Turner wrote in an op-ed. “When we support locally owned businesses, we invest directly in the heartbeat of our community. We sustain our neighbors, strengthen our local economy, and preserve the unique character that makes places like Hopkinsville, Oak Grove, and all Christian County truly special.”
This year the local observance is called Holly Jolly Hop Community Shop Small Saturday.
Here are some of the special events planned at local businesses on Saturday:
Handcrafted Holiday Market
Hopkinsville Brewing Co., 102 E. Fifth St., will host its fourth annual Handcrafted Holiday Market with local crafters, artisans and small business owners selling a variety of wares, including quilts, jewelry, baked goods and more. The market will run from 1 to 5 p.m.
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra Theatre, 507 S. Main St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to sell merchandise, including sweatshirts, tote bags, Christmas ornaments, the Pennyroyal Arts Council cookbook and more gifts.
Gift Card Giveaway
Four gift cards prize packages valued between $75 and $250 will be given to shoppers who shot selfies in a small business on Saturday and post it to the Hopkinsville Downtown Renaissance District Facebook page and also tag the district, the Hopkinsville Small Business Commission and the Chamber of Commerce. Details are here.
Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County
Merchandise in The Vault gift shop in the Pennyroyal Area Museum, 217 E. Ninth St., will be 20% off for the general public and 30% off for museum members between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. And a purchase in the gift shop will give shoppers free admission to the museum on Saturday.
Caricature Artist at J. Schrecker Jewelry
Complimentary portraits by a caricature artist will be available at J. Schrecker Jewelry, 909 S. Main St. During an open house from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the store will have hot chocolate and cranberry mimosas, and drawings for prizes.
Here’s an interactive map of businesses participating in Shop Small Saturday.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
