Christina Smith is ready to see customers come out and shop today for Small Business Saturday. We hope to see everyone there,” Smith said. We will have additional staff on duty. Smith is the owner of Brylah Fashions, a women’s clothing store located in Spanish Springs. She said the store sees good business throughout Thanksgiving weekend, especially on Small Business Saturday. The shopping spree takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. American Express created it in 2010 to encourage people to support local businesses when shopping for vacation. Brylah Fashions staff began preparing days before the holiday with other small businesses in the community, including Ambrosia on the Square, Rustic Rose Home Accents & Gifts and Rustic Rose Fashion Boutique.
Local small business owners are eager to see people shop and support local businesses in the community.
I tell people every day that I appreciate the local support, said Laure Folland, owner of Ambrosia at Lake Sumter Landing plaza. Our local support has been so vital to the success of our business since we’ve been at Lake Sumter Landing, and we appreciate everyone who comes.
Small Business Saturday is a bigger day for the Florida-themed gift shop than Black Friday. On Black Friday, she said, people tend to shop at big box stores for larger items, and Small Business Saturday is more of a social day where customers shop for smaller items.
Saturday could be the day they take that down a notch, Folland said. She expects this year to be as busy as past small business Saturdays depending on how business is going so far.
The National Retail Federation expects Thanksgiving weekend, which began Thursday and ends Monday, to attract 166.3 million shoppers. That’s 8 million more shoppers than last year and the highest estimated number since the NRF began tracking holiday spending data five years ago, according to a news release from the NRF.
Although there is much speculation about the impact of inflation on consumer behavior, our data tells us that this Thanksgiving holiday weekend will see robust in-store traffic with record numbers of shoppers taking advantage valuable awards, said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF, in a press release. We are optimistic that retail sales will remain strong in the coming weeks, and retailers are ready to meet consumers however they want to buy quality products at prices they want to pay.
Small Business Saturday is expected to be the third busiest day for shopping behind Black Friday and Cyber Monday with around 60.4 million people shopping, according to a press release.
Thanksgiving weekend is a busy time for Smith, and she expects no less this weekend and today for Small Business Saturday.
I’m hoping for a bigger and better weekend just because I think more and more people are finally coming out, Smith said. The busy season is here. We have much more to offer than previous years.
Smith is offering several sales today, including 65% off all regular-priced items. She also offered the Friday sales.
Rosalyn Housley, owner of Rustic Rose Home Accents & Gifts and Rustic Rose Fashion Boutique in Brownwood, expects today to be amazing in her stores. She said customers had already started coming in to do their holiday shopping last week.
People love supporting their favorite small businesses, Housley said.
Senior Writer Summer Jarro can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5404, or [email protected].