Small Business Saturday helps the desert in a big way

Want to shop big and help big? Then go small – to small businesses, that is.

“It’s just getting more and more known. It’s on the news now so people are becoming more aware of it. I think the whole shop local idea floats around communities so much more now than ever,” Main Street Palm Springs president Joy Meredith said.

Small Business Saturday proved a hit all over the Coachella Valley.

“We rewarded our shoppers who spent $100 or more with a $20 gift certificate. It was an instant reward. If they spent $100 or more, they went and collected a ticket where they could spend at Old Town stores or restaurants,” Old Town La Quinta leasing and property manager Leslie Locken said. “We gave away 90 gift certificates. Last year, I think we only did about thirty.”

“This year was so much better than previous years. Small Business Saturday is about more than just shopping. This is the time when you have the opportunity to form a relationship with your locals,” Meredith said.

Shopping small really has big affects on where you live.

“The statistics say that out of every $100 that you spend at small businesses, $76 stays in your community. The products you have, by employing the people, the sales tax that’s spent,” Meredith said.

Shoppers say what they find at mom and pop shops – no one else will have.

“It’s hand made, most of it. It’s personal. It’s one-of-a-kind, versus everybody can buy a TV. But they can’t buy a plate from a special artist or a coffee mug that’s hand stamped.”