NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Saturday, Nov. 25 is “Small Business Saturday,” a 10-year tradition that promotes small businesses and celebrates their contributions to local communities and economies by encouraging people to purchase Christmas and other holiday gifts in their own neighborhoods.
Small businesses make up 98% of all businesses in the state of New York, and support 40% of the private sector workforce, according to the governor’s office.
Rob Wilson, owner of Sterling Place on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, says that Small Business Saturday encourages people to keep local stores in mind as the holiday season continues.
“This weekend will be a busy weekend, but it gets progressively more busy as we head towards Christmas Eve,” Wilson told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
Mary Jo Pile, owner of Collier West on Atlantic Avenue, agrees. She told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 about the community benefits of shopping small.
“Almost 68% of whatever you spend in a small shop goes into that community. Almost everybody who works for me is local, almost all my artists are local,” Pile said.
The kick-off to the holiday shopping season was celebrated across New York City, with events like the Park Slope 5th Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) annual tree lighting that began at 4:30 p.m. and ended at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Joanna Tallantire, the Executive Director of the Park Slope 5th Avenue BID, told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 that usually about 1,000 people attend the lighting.
Tallantire also noted that while the event used to be later, the tree being lit at 6 p.m. as opposed to this year’s 5:30 p.m., the BID wanted families to have an opportunity to eat out for dinner in the area.
Roping local restaurants into the celebration of Small Business Saturday is a sentiment that was echoed by the New York City Department of Small Business Services in an X post on Saturday.
“After you #ShopSmall all day, fill your bellies at a local restaurant this #SmallBusinessSaturday evening! 🥘🍲,” the department wrote. The post also includes a link to a live NYC map that allows people to find small businesses near them.
Events celebrating Small Business Saturday and its mission can be found across boroughs.
Nicole Panettieri, who founded “Shop Small Astoria” in 2015 and owns two local businesses, The Tiny Owl and The Brass Owl, encourages people to continue their shopping beyond Saturday by hosting a “Shop Small Astoria” retail crawl that runs until Wednesday, Nov. 29.
Gov. Kathy Hochul made a statement encouraging New York state residents to shop local this weekend, citing local shopping as an investment in community, jobs and regional economic growth.
The statement also referred to the governor’s commitment of nearly $1 billion dollars to support small businesses through Empire State Development, the umbrella organization for New York state’s main economic development corporations.
Additionally, the governor has enhanced 26 programs exclusively for small businesses during her time in office.
“As the daughter of a small business owner, I know it takes hard work and perseverance to start and grow a business,” Hochul said. "Since the beginning of my administration, we have made historic investments in New York’s small businesses, which provide jobs, boost local economies, and have a huge impact on communities across the state.”
“This Small Business Saturday and every day, I encourage New Yorkers to shop locally.”