PRINCETON, WV (WOAY) – This Saturday is the 10th annual Small Business Saturday. It was started in 2010 by American Express as a means to help support small businesses in the wake of the Recession.
Local businesses around downtown Princeton have joined together for the annual event.
“I think it’s important so that there’s a sense of community fostered, so the businesses can look out for each other and help each other succeed more,” said RiffRaff Arts Gallery Cashier Jordan Furrow.
The streets were packed with people heading to each store along Mercer Street. More than a dozen businesses participated and encouraged folks to shop local over the weekend. And especially during the pandemic, small businesses need help more than ever.
“Right now with the pandemic, being a small business owner is so hard because we struggle to keep everything moving. So we would highly encourage anyone that has a small business that they favor to go out and shop not only on Small Business Saturday but through the rest of the year to help us get through all this,” said Hammer & Stain Co-Owner Holley Odle.
Princeton’s downtown has been seeing a renaissance over the past few years. There used to be only a fraction of available shopping outlets for residents to enjoy. Now, stores all across Mercer Street are seeing more business, and hope the trend continues.
“We’re your neighbors, and small business depends on our community to stay in business. So it’s very important to have promotions like this to get people familiar if they haven’t been in one of our shops before. They come in and they see the great things downtown has to offer now, and they keep coming back,” said Tammy Dotson, owner of The Hatter’s BookShop.
The Mercer Street Grassroots District was offering local shoppers stickers and buttons if they made a purchase at any participating business. And anyone who spent more than $20 received a free tote bag, all of which was meant to encourage local shopping in the wake of Black Friday, and revitalize small businesses as they struggle during the pandemic.
