Shoppers mark Small Business Saturday

Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall was busy with shoppers who opted for a more personalized experience compared to what they say they get at big box stores and in the Black Friday madness.

“One day a year when they are shopping small gets them thinking about other times they can stop in and visit places that are local to them”, Ben Ratner of Lib’s Cafe in Salem said.

Small businesses like Fletcher Yeater Jewelers are still breaking out the deals after Black Friday.

“It’s kind of like me when I go to the farmer’s market, versus the big grocery store”.

Over The Rhine store owners said that energy drifts from store to store, as consumer spending continues to transform the urban community. Mike Deiniger, owner of MiCA 12/V in Over the Rhine, hopes Small Business Saturday brings in new customers. “Many of these books are out of print and hard to find”, said Dick Masters, The Book Vault co-owner.

Small Business Saturday was launched in 2010 as a way to encourage people to spend their dollars at locally owned business rather than national or online retailers.

Len and Judy Lester said when small businesses succeed, America succeeds.

Saturday, shoppers got out to support local businesses on Shop Small Saturday. “I think it’s really good for us to have a lot more businesses that are from people that are here in town”, said Deleeuw.

“1 hundred dollars in sales, 68 dollars of that goes back into the community, and so it is so important to keep your money local”.

According to the Governor’s office, there are more than 670,00 small businesses across Virginia. “With that happening we buy things locally and we sell things locally”.