Support Small Business Saturday and fall in love with local

Everyone knows about Black Friday and all its great deals. It’s the most anticipated sale event of the year second only to Boxing Day. But do you know about Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is a celebration held on the day after Black Friday to champion shopping local at the start of the busy holiday shopping season. It’s run by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), the country’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses.

 Your favourite small businesses pour their hearts into what they do every day. This Small Business Saturday, join in supporting local by showing them the love they deserve, and wrap yourself up in the warm feeling of supporting local!

Along with heartfelt service and unique products, you’ll get great deals, too. Look out for businesses offering Small Business Saturday sales and special offers.

Here are five fantastic reasons to feel great about shopping small:

• You’re keeping your community vibrant and thriving.

• You’re supporting Canadian workers.

• 10 million people work at small and medium-sized businesses, according to the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, 2020.

• You’re supporting local causes.

• 2 in 3 small retailers donate time & money to local charities, according to the CFIB, Your Voice national survey, November 2022.

• Your dollars stay local.

• 69% of small retailers buy from other local businesses, according to the CFIB survey.

• You’re supporting someone’s dream!

Don’t forget to post where you’re shopping on Small Business Saturday. Tag CFIB and use the hashtags #SmallBusinessSaturday and #FallinLovewithLocal, so you can share your support! Created by CFIB, #SmallBusinessEveryDay is a year-round initiative encouraging Canadians to support their local communities and shop at small businesses.

I’ll shamelessly hashtag right here and do a shout-out to Pollock’s Hardware on Main Street in West Kildonan. This is one of my favourite places to shop. Pollock’s has been a staple in the neighbourhood forever, and to prove it, the store marked it’s 100th anniversary this year.

Pollock’s is a super-cool old-school style hardware store that’s now run as a cooperative. It’s one of the few places you can go to to buy that one random fastener you need, instead of a jumbo-sized shrink-wrapped bale of 12. They specialize in hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind and locally produced goods. They also support a DIY ethic of “repair not replace” — which will help you support the environment at the same time so win/win! — and stock many items you won’t find anywhere else. They also support local businesses, so you can easily find some unique gifts for those nice people on your list while picking up your Christmas tree (but remember to preorder it first!).

However, like so many local businesses, Pollock’s is really struggling right now. By regularly shopping there, you will ensure their success for many more years to come. This is just one example of a worthy local business you can help thrive.

I’m sure you have your favourite local spots to visit, whether it’s a boutique, independent car repair shop, butcher, salon, non-chain restaurant, gallery, bakery, pub or coffee shop, to suggest just a few. There are many ways to support local business. These are your neighbours, so don’t forget about them when you’re walking through a mall or big box store hunting for a great deal.

I can’t think of any better way to kick off the holiday shopping season than to support local businesses! Covid may be (mostly?) over, but so too is the CERB, so many small businesses are still struggling financially and need your ongoing support.

Visit smallbusinesseveryday.ca for more info.