In an effort to combat the surge of online shopping, some Port Washington small businesses will be participating in Small Business Saturday.
On Nov. 26, participating businesses will be promoting the need to shop local, kicking off the town’s holiday season shop local campaign.
Bobbie Polay, executive director of the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce, said that for every $100 spent in a local small business, $68 stays in the community “through jobs, taxes and contributions to nonprofits and more.”
“Shop local is something we promote all year around, but it’s something we’re always letting people know to do,” Polay said. “It’s the local stores that support our community and it’s really important for us to get the word out, so everyone can get out to the local shops.”
Polay said small businesses were scared of big malls and box stores hurting their business about five years ago, but the fear has shifted to online retailers.
“Stores have told me that they’ve really been hurt by online retailers, so that’s why this message is so important to the town and the local business owners,” Polay said. “It’s not just the stores that are opening and trying to stay open, you can just see this trend by the stores that have closed, too.”
“Small businesses offer special customer services that the big box stores don’t offer and they support requests for donations for your and your children’s community organizations like the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, school fundraisers,” Polay said in a news release.
Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 to raise awareness of the role small businesses play in the community.
Polay said people who use their American Express credit cards at local businesses receive rewards.
American Express is offering people who shop locally two times the rewards on their purchases at qualifying small businesses through Dec. 31, according to its website.
The chamber is using the slogan “Try Port First” to promote shopping locally during the holiday season.
