For the past 10 years, Small Business Saturday has reminded American shoppers that local, independent businesses are crucial to their communities.
This year, the message to “shop small” takes on added urgency as small retailers and independent food businesses face an existential crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many are counting on Christmas sales through the end of the year to stay afloat.
“We are all getting by and trying to hang on … but at the same time we want people to be safe,” said 6th Street Boutique owner Janey Moss. “It has been slow lately, and I’m praying that the reason it’s been slow is because people are staying in and staying home — for the right reasons.”
Moss is among dozens of Hopkinsville shop owners who look to the Saturday after Thanksgiving to kick off holiday business. American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010 to highlight the importance of the indies.
Hopkinsville’s Downtown Renaissance District Office has provided free Shop Small tote bags that will be available Saturday at several locations, including J. Schrecker Jewelry, Milkweed Health and Harmony Emporium, Griffin’s Studio, the Downtown Farmers Market and from the Hopkinsville Art Guild in the Odd Fellows Building.
Moss encouraged shoppers to rely on small businesses for extra services that can provide added safety during the pandemic. Her boutique and other shops offer curbside service. Moss is even willing to deliver packages to customers’ homes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages shoppers to wear masks and maintain social distance in stores. Shoppers should pace themselves and avoid crowds, health experts advise.
Three not-for-profit organizations will be part of Shop Small Saturday in downtown — the Hopkinsville Art Guild (in the former Books on Main space at Ninth and Virginia), the Alhambra Theatre and the Pennyroyal Area Museum.
Restaurants, which have also suffered financially during the pandemic, are hoping to increase sales through gift cards for holiday shoppers.
The Hopkinsville-Christian County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1730 E. Ninth St., has a special offer to support local businesses. Anyone who spends at least $50 in a local store through Dec. 24 can bring their receipt to the Visitors Center to receive a free Hopkinsville swag pack.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
