AKRON, Ohio — Small Business Saturday is the day set aside each year to support small businesses. Many compare the shopping holiday day to Black Friday.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving

  • The shopping holiday has been around for 10 years

  • This year, many small business owners said they saw a significant decrease in foot traffic from years past

This year, however, many small business owners have said they saw a significant decrease in foot traffic due to the pandemic.

“It starts our Christmas season, even more than Black Friday,” said Monica Kiskadden. “Black Friday people are exhausted so that Small Business Saturday is where we tend to see our business.”

Kiskadden is one of the owners of Rubber City Clothing, a custom apparel store that is located inside of the Northside Marketplace in Akron, which is a building that houses several small businesses.

Kiskadden said although the turnout was smaller than normal for Small Business Saturday, her customers have stayed loyal throughout the pandemic.

“Like everyone, we thought COVID had just taken us, we are going to be one of the many that don’t survive but people come back and have been ordering stuff and our online sales have been great," she said.

Justin Lepley is the owner of Lepley and Co., a tropical plant store, which is also located inside of Akron's Northside Marketplace.

He said although the turnout for Small Business Saturday wasn't what he expected; he understood why people chose to stay home.

“Historically, lines will stretch out the door it’s just really significant, the biggest day of the year and while we still had a great turn out and a lot of action we didn’t have as much on that one single day and in the world we are living in I think that is OK.”

Lepley said he, along with many other small business owners, have been encouraging people to spread out their holiday shopping in order to not crowd stores on those big shopping days.

He hopes more people will choose to shop small this year.

“I think that is something that is kind of important for folks to remember,” Lepley said. “Small Business Saturday is great and it is great to remember it on that one day but this year especially we really need to try to support local as much as we can for the entire holiday season.”