In the village of Arroyo Grande, Small Business Saturday is more than a shopping holiday; it’s a chance to boost the local economy before the holidays hit full swing.
The Village had many holiday shoppers on Saturday.
Brynn Temeer and her friends were home from college for the weekend. She said they prefer to shop local.
“It's like a community more so than people profiting off of us," Temeer said. "So I really appreciate that. It's like a lot more than that. It means so much more because of that.”
Customers lined up outside Mule Bakery and Cafe before the store opened. Employee Krista Bandy said the steady flow of people throughout the morning was a mix of regulars and out-of-towners.
“It's a good, It's a good thing," Bandy said. "It really is. Everyone just gets together. We want the Village to thrive, so, it's a good thing, you know, seeing the streets busy and people walking out.”
Krista Bandy said this is her first holiday season working at the cafe and customers now are crucial for their longterm success.
“It's important for us to have people come in throughout the holiday just because, you know, it helps us through when the January slow season hits,” Bandy said.
Wyatt Regez works at Monarch Books nearby.
“So first of all, there's the big profit," Regez said. "If you make a lot of money in this time of year, then it'll make it easier to make less money later. But it also means a lot more people are like, it's small business, so we should go out and look at the small businesses.”
Monarch Books offered deals encouraging customers to come back in January, a time employees say business usually slows in the Village.
Regez said even if people window shop on Small Business Saturday, it benefits the shops that make up the Village.
“Whether or not you're buying anything at a business, you're still supporting them just by being aware of them," Regez said. "And you can spread the knowledge from word of mouth or come back in January, because we can offer the discount like we have for returning customers, so we're keeping afloat throughout the year by really enforcing the idea of just coming here is a benefit to us all.”
Small Business Saturday was started in 2010 by American Express as a way to encourage consumers to spend money at small businesses.
