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Editorial: Small, local businesses need day in spotlight

Fri., Nov. 25, 2011

The Holiday shop-a-thon has traditionally kicked off today, Black Friday, although more and more tryptophan-deprived retailers are opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day. Many readers may be inbound from the malls this morning, or outbound; coffee’d-up and ready for the fray.

More recently, Cyber Monday has become the bookend to Black Friday: Touch it in the stores, buy it on the Internet, perhaps after a day or two to ponder priorities, and the Seattle Seahawks.

This year, for a second time, an odd coalition that includes the U.S. Small Business Administration, state and local governments across the United States, social media and business advocacy groups is promoting Small Business Saturday. The concept itself was hatched by American Express.

There’s a jumble of motivations here, but bringing consumer dollars back to small businesses is a good thing no matter who is playing what angle.

Greater Spokane Incorporated launched its own Buy Local program nearly three years ago to encourage shoppers to brick, not click. Even if the local retailer is a big box, a significant share of each dollar spent stays in the community as payroll, utilities, and goods and services purchased from other local businesses. Dollars spent on the Internet are gone, with the possible exception of wages paid delivery drivers.

GSI cannot quantify the benefits to participating retailers, but the program’s popsicle green shopping bag logo is visible in many store windows. Downloads of the logo from the GSI web site continue. If it wasn’t working, why bother?

Unlike Buy Local, Small Business Saturday embraces the Internet. The business, not its location, is the focus.

According to American Express, more than one-quarter of businesses accepting its card reported higher sales last year. Thousands received free Facebook advertising. Small Business Saturday hashtags were hung on thousands more Tweets. More partners are providing services this year.

It will be interesting to see if the program sticks, and the marketing add-ons that could give Saturday the same status as Friday and Monday. Sunday, anyone?

Small retailers always have a hard go. They cannot stock the shelves, they cannot buy the advertising, and they cannot afford the sophisticated websites their big box competitors can. Finding a market niche, and providing customer service keeps them alive. For a healthy national economy, for a thriving Spokane economy, mom-and-pop stores must succeed.

Tomorrow, Small Business Saturday, will be a good day for consumers to enter those stores, and buy local. Then, repeat 364 more days.