Local Shop Owners Promote Small Business Saturday

Hadas Kuznits

Hadas Kuznits has been as a news writer/reporter for KYW Newsradio...

By Hadas Kuznits

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Small stores were open today and owners were encouraging folks to shop local. It was all part of Small Business Saturday.

You've heard about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but what about Small Business Saturday? Casey Lynch, co-owner of Street Glitter Gallery in Fishtown, says it was a promotion created five years ago by American Express to support small, locally owned businesses.

'It's important, because the money goes directly back into the community,' she says. 'In a shop like ours, we have 50-60 different Philadelphia artists, jewelers and crafts people. So when the money is spent in our gallery, it goes directly to local artisans.'

Lynch says Small Business Saturday helps shops like her store that can't compete with the pricing of large, industrial chains.

'There's less money for advertising, there's less money for sales,' she says. 'We can't sell things below wholesale.'

But Lynch says in exchange for slightly higher prices at small, locally owned stores, consumers get quality.

'You'll need to re-buy that mass-produced product in a few years,' she says, 'where if you get something handmade that's carefully and well done, it could last a lifetime.'

These days, you don't have to use American Express to participate in Small Business Saturday.

'But if you're a small business owner and contact (American Express), and tell them that you're participating in Small Business Saturday, they'll send you reusable tote bags, door mats, balloons, to give out to your customers.'

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