As the holiday season comes into full swing, there is one thing no one can seem to avoid and that’s spending money.
From shopping for presents to taking your family out to eat to going to enjoying a holiday happy hour, everyone’s wallet tends to be emptier come the first of the year. One way to feel a little better about all your spending this time of year is by keeping your cash local and supporting small businesses in the region.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is known nationwide as Small Business Saturday. The movement was founded by American Express in 2010 and is “a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities,” per the United States Small Business Administration.
Read on to find out how you can participate in Small Business Saturday in NKY.
Local events
There are plenty of local celebrations for Small Business Saturday. Over in Covington, you could start the day off at The Roost in Latonia starting at 9 a.m, for Shop Small, Eat & Drink Big. Then, in the afternoon, you can make your way to Purple Paisley for JP’s Small Business Saturday Pottery Event.
Get some holiday shopping done at a local boutique or (if you’re finally tired of Thanksgiving leftovers) visit a local restaurant or bar.
Any way you can shop locally will help, said Small Business Coach with the Kentucky Small Business Administration April Coffee, “they just need that extra support from our community and from the members of our area.”
On the business side, Coffee’s advice is pretty simple: just participate “the biggest thing is being open.” She said that if businesses have the ability, they recommend offering a discount
It’s a group effort: when small businesses support each other, it helps everyone nearby “It’s not just a matter of who’s coming into your storefront but who’s coming and working with their entire area,” said Coffee.
The Latonia Shopping Plaza is a great example of where this collaboration works, Coffee said, “they’ve actually increased their business and increased the awareness in that particular area,” citing the recent renovations and new business popping up in the plaza.
Overall, Coffee said shopping local helps everyone “ That small business owner that you’re working with, is feeding their family. They’re shopping at our local stores, they’re shopping and it’s just helping everyone in Northern Kentucky’s lives.”
Over in Campbell County, the Fort Thomas Business Council is hosting a Holiday Pub Crawl where participants are encouraged to wear their best holiday gear, whether that’s an ugly sweater, Santa suit or even pajamas.
The holiday season means a lot for small business owners, “We’re busy all the time in November and December,” said Erika Kraus, owner of Midway Cafe in Fort Thomas, one of the participating businesses in the pub crawl.
A lot of businesses are also helping to give back to the community that supports them. Kraus says Midway will also be hosting a toy drive during the pub crawl, the donations go to 450 kids from a local school who will each get socks, underwear, a coat and a toy.
Another participant, The Post, is hosting an adult “Holiday Boozy Bookfair” with Blue Marble Books, where adults can grab a drink and browse collections from the shop.
Find a list of all the participants on the event’s Facebook page.
In Florence, David Wallace, Chairman of the Florence Business Association, is encouraging community members to participate by just visiting small businesses in the city “There’s over 2,000 businesses in the city of Florence and many many of those are small businesses. It is the best way you can support local businesses is to be a patron and to tell friends and people outside of the area to come and shop in Florence.”
Click here for a list of Florence Business Association members.
Spread the love on social media
One free and easy way to help promote small businesses is by sharing and supporting on social media.
“We’re asking that if you go into a local business that you post on social media, a picture of you at those businesses to help advertise for your friend for everybody, just to show what you got in our community and how great our community is and how thriving our small businesses are and how much they give back and give into it,” Coffee said.
You don’t even have to post “even liking posts, supporting posts is huge for us because the more people that like and support or comment on our things, the more people see it,” said Kraus.
Whether from home from your phone, out at boutiques or getting a drink at a bar, there are tons of ways to support small businesses in your community.
