Small Business Saturday a hit for area shops
Inner Artist Studio employee Stephanie Pitulski, left, and owner April Ryan take a break between transactions during Small Business Saturday. The studio is located on South Main Street in Washington.
Buy & Sell Outlet owner Ken Miller said he saw a lot of customers come through his store Saturday. He offered a 15 percent discount on all merchandise.
Saturday’s drizzle couldn’t dampen the deals offered by small retailers in Washington and Waynesburg.
Between the two municipalities, more than two dozen businesses participated in Small Business Saturday, an American shopping holiday promoting local businesses.
Promoted by the Washington Business District Authority, this was the first year city merchants participated in the event, which is sponsored nationally by American Express.
When asked if she saw a more shoppers than usual coming through her door, April Ryan, owner of Inner Artist Studio on South Main Street, said, “Oh, my, yes. And they’re all buying, too.”
The purveyor of gifts and home decor promoted the special shopping day through social media, giving a 20 percent discount on holiday items.
“We offer a lot of local handmade things a lot of people don’t have,” she said after ringing up a sale of scented soaps.
Employee Stephanie Pitulski added, “We’re doing well. People are buying gifts you can’t get at the mall.”
During transactions, Ryan talked to customers about future events in the studio, including a painting party to be held before and after Friday’s Light Up Night and Christmas parade. Her hope is increasing community events will lure more businesses to downtown Washington.
Angela Burgess, who co-owns Washington Winery and A&M Wine & Beer Supplies with her husband, John, echoed the sentiment.
“I think it’s wonderful. It’s really bringing the community together,” said Burgess, head of the Washington Business District Authority’s promotions committee. “Many customers have come in today and said they are supporting small businesses. We’ll do it again in the future.”
Also on Main Street, Ken Miller, owner of Buy & Sell Outlet, offered a 15 percent discount on all merchandise – from instruments to tools to electronics.
Miller has owned the store for more than 4 years. He said business was definitely booming Saturday, but it was too soon to tell if it was because of the shopping event.
“The last few Saturdays have been busy,” Miller said. “If they do (Small Business Saturday) again, I’ll participate. I really appreciate what (the Business District Authority) does.”
Just 25 miles south of Washington, more than a dozen Waynesburg Merchants Guild retailers offered $5 off of any purchase of $25 or more to help boost sales.
“We’ve done pretty well today considering how bad the weather is. In fact, we did more than last year, sales-wise,” said Pansy McConnell, co-owner of 5 Kidz Kandy. “We had a lot of repeat customers and some new customers that … were out supporting the small businesses.”
Jim Winegar, owner of Artbeat, a gallery that offers handcrafted home decor, jewelry and fashion, said he was pleased with Saturday’s turnout. Many customers who purchased gifts in his shop were there to support small business, while others were traveling through Waynesburg for Thanksgiving.
“People are expressing the idea of shopping locally. Clearly, there’s a segment of people who have engaged in that,” Winegar said. “Some customers were visiting family or traveling through area and decided to poke around town and making a circuit of the businesses participating.”
Artbeat and most of the other participating Waynesburg businesses will continue to offer discounts through Dec. 3, because, Winegar said, although shopping holidays like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday lead to sales, small business owners are focused on prospering throughout the year.
“It’s our lives,” he said. “It’s not just one day.”