WLTX-TV
November 28, 2015
Columbia, SC (WLTX) – Extreme holiday shopping continued on Saturday for Small Business Saturday.
Several Midlands shop owners we spoke with say it was a success.
People took advantage of the deals at the shops on Devine Street.
Melissa Armstrong is a new business owner of the gift shop Gibson’s on Devine and said people had been coming in and out all Saturday.
Armstrong says supporting small businesses is not only great for the economy, but also great for an experience like no other.
“If you want small businesses to be around so you can touch and feel what you’re buying and have a one on one relationship with people who can advise you about a product instead of you going online and just typing in numbers and you getting whatever shows up at your door,” Armstrong explained passionately. “Well if that’s the experience you don’t want then supporting small businesses is a way to keep the one on one experience alive.”
It’s that experience Small Business Saturday Shopper Danny Schumpert says is important.
“I prefer to support small businesses because I don’t like going to the big box stores,” Schumpert said. “Usually when I go to a small business they know me by name, and it’s much nicer to be greeted by the owner than to be greeted by just a paid greeter.”
Down the street, Pink Sorbet Owner Beth Baxley couldn’t agree more.
“Small Business Saturday is important because it just brings awareness to the small businesses in your local community, all the dollars stay here in your community and the small businesses will give back into the community, so it just keeps everything local,” Baxley said.
Keeping things local to support neighbors and grow the economy.
According to the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, for every one dollar you spend in a small business, it’ll have three times the impact on your local economy than if you spent that same dollar on a big box store.