Small Business Saturday (SBS) shattered its own ceiling this year with a record-breaking $17.8 billion dollars in sales across the United States. According to the 2018 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from the National Federation of Independent Business and American Express, SBS enticed 42 percent of Americans to shop local at brick-and-mortar stores on Nov. 24, while another 41 percent said they shopped locally online that day.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, which surveys consumer trends during the holidays, one of the biggest changes that has occurred with holiday shopping points to a change in consumer spending. Since the recession, more and more customers are shopping at off-price retailers (T.J. Maxx, Ross Dress For Less, i.e.) at the expense of department stores (Macy’s, Dillards, i.e.).
Regardless of the trends, SBS has thrived, and Owensboro store-owners are more than happy that local residents are shopping local during the holidays.
Jim Gilles, owner of Hillview Farm Meats, said his store noticed a marked increase in sales during November and December of this year.
“I know we definitely had an increase in sales over last year, and in the number of people coming in and buying,” Gilles said. “We had a busy November and December.”
Gilles attributes part of that increase in sales to his store’s public recognition. After being open for only two years, Gilles said more people in the community have figured out where his store is located and what it has to offer.
“We have — for lack of a better word — a hodgepodge of items we offer in our store. We have a lot of things other stores don’t offer,” Gilles said.
Sales also increased for Natasha Stanley, owner of Bella Ragazza Boutique, located in downtown Owensboro on W. 2nd Street.
“It was amazing. This was our best year yet, and our best holiday season,” Stanley said. “I think there was a lot of people who shopped local this year.”
Stanley thanks the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce and their Shop Owensboro initiative for her store’s boost in holiday sales. Shop Owensboro encouraged residents to shop at local retailers by offering discounts and a map containing the various local businesses involved in the event.
Stanley played her own part in increasing her store’s sales by implementing an online avenue for her shoppers. Bella Ragazza added an online purchasing option in August, and Stanley said a huge part of her store’s holiday sales came from online shoppers.
“I think that helped with our sales a lot. Our hours aren’t as accommodating as some other stores,” Stanley said. “It’s crazy how important that [online element] is — social media has helped us out a lot too.”
Meanwhile, some stores noticed a decline in holiday sales compared to years’ past. Owner Debi Ford of Simply Chic Boutique said while her store definitely noticed an uptick in sales during November and December, they also suffered a slight downtrend in comparison to the year before.
“For me, I think we felt a little bit of a pinch in the last quarter,” Ford said. “We still had a good holiday season. I can’t say we had a horrible Christmas season, but several other stores have said the same thing.”
Ford believes online shopping probably played a role in her store’s decreased revenue over the last quarter compared to 2017, but she said it’s something a lot of local retail stores see.
“I’m sure online does affect us because it’s so much easier to shop from the couch,” Ford said. “But I’m not really sure why our last quarter was down.”
