Shoppers support local businesses in Downtown Mobile for small business Saturday

By MOBILE, Alabama

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    MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — It was a day dedicated to shopping locally and supporting small businesses for Small Business Saturday.

Small businesses not only provide great shopping experiences, but they also keep the community thriving.

Folks were out and about in Downtown Mobile shopping locally.

“If we don’t support them then they won’t be here, and we want them to exist, so it’s really important to show support on a special day like this for them,” said Nicole Moore, Urban Emporium’s Store Manager.

Urban Emporium in Downtown Mobile is the ultimate small businesses shopping experience. It doesn’t have just one business to shop from it has 34.

“We got 34 different individual vendors in Urban Emporium. You’re shopping one place but with 34 different local owners, and I think that’s really, really special, and the whole goal is to help them grow and get their business started and eventually open up their own storefront,” said Moore.

Moore said when people shop at Urban Emporium, they’re helping write success stories.

“We have the Velvet Lab that just graduated out a couple months ago so it kind of gives them the extra boost to help them open their own store,” said Moore.

Shoppers were happy to show some small businesses some love after big box stores had their turn on Black Friday.

“You get unique things that you are not going to find at big retailers, you know get local craftsman, local artists that are producing things, especially things that are specific to the community,” said Jenifer McCormick.

Just a few blocks away from Urban Emporium, Do Goods Mercantile got a lot of foot traffic. The store is filled with merchandise from companies that give back to the community in a big way.

“Some of the companies hire people who are at risk, other companies make donations to non-profits that they hear about or to ministries in their area, but every company that is represented here has some sort of a mission,” said Annie Persinger, owner of Do Goods.

Persinger said shopping small, means you’re supporting local families.

“Rather than buying from big box stores where it’s not making much of an impact on individuals this actually puts the resources back into the community and sustains the businesses to thrive here,” said Persinger.

Some shoppers said they only shop small, so they can in return support local economies.

“I think that’s where the foundation of a community is, you know the people that are working the hardest, deserve it the most are the small businesses,” said Amber Lathan, “And I was a small business owner so I know how much work goes into it and it can be really difficult sometimes, so I rather put my money into small people than the big people.”

Even though Small Business Saturday has wrapped up, you can always support your local small businesses any day of the week.

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