JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This year marks ten years of Small Business Saturday. The annual event aims to help local entrepreneurs kick off the holiday season with a bang.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic means this year those retailers are hoping for a lifeline.
Small business owners at San Marco Square hope people bring their holiday lists and their wallets to stores after taking a big financial hit earlier this year.
“If you look around at a lot of shopping centers today, you’ll notice there’s more and more empty spaces," said Ward Lariscy, owner of the Wardroom.
Lariscy has been helping shoppers at the Wardroom since 1981.
“The small person can’t exist without local business shoppers," Lariscy said.
It is a similar situation for business owners in Mandarin.
“We’ve seen small businesses close in our own neighborhoods," said Holly Donohoe, owner of Vintage Arts, Inc. "We seen them close all over our country, all over our world,".
Donohoe had to close her store earlier this year due to COVID-19, not only putting her out of work, but her employees as well.
“In fact, for every $100 spent at a small business, $68 is returned directly into this local economy, as opposed to about $43 when you shop at a chain store," Donohoe said.
A CNBC study shows 43% of Americans plan to spend less on holiday shopping than in 2019. This makes every dollar count to struggling small business.
“We hear it constantly from the shopkeepers that well, the neighbors aren’t shopping, or we just can’t keep on going because the Internet is fighting us," Lariscy explained. "So that’s why it’s important to keep shopping local not just on today, but shop with us five and six days a week."