It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for many of Savannah’s small businesses.
Several local merchants reported strong weekend sales, in part due to Small Business Saturday, a shopping holiday aimed at spreading consumer dollars beyond big retail stores on Black Friday.
“Friday was a real blockbuster day,” said Chris Blaker, a store clerk at The Book Lady Bookstore on Liberty Street. Last year, he said, Black Friday was not as busy downtown. “Saturday was good, but I expected it to be busier than Friday. It was switched.”
Store merchants credited the stronger weekend turnout to good weather, free downtown parking and more awareness among consumers about supporting small businesses.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Broughton Street with that many people on it, and I’m from here,” said Laura Brown, store manager of Savannah Bee Company. “We had a phenomenal weekend. We definitely saw a lot of American Express cards.”
American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 as an ad campaign to encourage holiday shoppers to support smaller mom-and-pop shops in addition to retail chains and Internet marketplaces such as Amazon.
The campaign was also a way for American Express to make amends with small business owners who have typically shunned the financial giant’s higher card-processing fees. This year, the company offered a $10 credit for AmEx customers who spent at least $10 at a small business.
At One Fish Two Fish furniture and gift boutique on Whitaker Street, a computer was set up for customers to register their cards online to receive the AmEx rewards. Sales associate Rebecca Bustinduy credited the increased traffic to strong word of mouth.
“It was definitely a good year. Friday was our best day,” said Bustinduy. “(Saturday) was not Black Friday good, but still really successful.”
According to numbers released by the National Federation of Independent Businesses and AmEx, consumers spent $5.7 billion at independent merchants this year, a 3.6 percent increase over last. The annual survey found that awareness of Small Business Saturday had also increased in the same period, from 67 to 71 percent.
Another trend possibly boosting small businesses is the decision by many large retailers to open on Thanksgiving Day, giving shoppers more time to shop at more places. In fact, the early Thursday opening cut into Black Friday sales, resulting in a 4 percent decline in consumer spending over the holiday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.
“For all retailers, the whole weekend was a little bit of a mixed bag,” said American Express spokesman Scott Krugman. “So what we’re seeing, the one bright spot is Small Business Saturday. The more people that are aware of it, the more people are going to support it. It gives small businesses their ceremonial kickoff to the holiday season.”
Both Savannah and Tybee Island offered free and discounted parking at meters and garages all weekend to encourage local shopping.
Susan Kelleher, owner of Seaside Sisters gift shop on Tybee Island, said her sales were about 20 percent higher over last year’s. On Saturday she held an in-store book signing with New York Times best-selling author Mary Kay Andrews, which was well attended.
“There were a lot of people on Tybee, and the weather totally cooperated,” said Kelleher, noting that her sales were down in November until she hit those last two days.
Since Thanksgiving fell late on the calendar, the shopping season is much shorter than usual. Merchants like Kelleher are hoping for a robust December despite its brevity.
Kelleher said the various promotions American Express runs in conjunction with the event, including a smartphone app to locate participating stores, don’t necessarily register with her clientele but still help with establishing a new holiday shopping tradition.
“The whole deal, Small Business Saturday, I think people just recognized it,” said Kelleher. “They didn’t mention it, but they were out shopping.”