Minden gearing up for Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is just around the corner. The day after Black Friday, November 24, many of Minden’s businesses will participate in promotions, open houses and giveaways to celebrate Small Business Saturday.
Owner of Bobbie’s Hobbies and Neighborhood Champion Tammy Eaton encourages members of the community and see what businesses in Minden have to offer.
“They don’t have to go out of town to shop. I think small businesses have things that stores like WalMart can’t get.
We also get to know our customers and we’re open to ordering what they’re looking for,” Eaton said.
There will be a Shop Small Passport Scavenger Hunt that encourages people to explore small businesses in Minden.
Customers can pick up a passport at one of five welcome stations: Say Baby, The Broken Bean, Sew Blessed, Geaux Fresh or Merle Norman. They can post a selfie at each business they visit, post to Facebook with the hashtag #shopsmallminden, and tag the shop. This allows them to get their passport stamped and enter drawings to win prizes from the participating businesses.
Customers may also turn in their receipts to one of the welcome centers with their name and phone number at the end of their shopping day for the chance to win additional prizes. All entries will need to be turned in by 4:30 pm on November 24.
“The passports brought in around $30,000 in that day alone with all of the businesses,” Eaton said of the success of the promotion.
More than 20 businesses are participating in the scavenger hunt.
“I like getting to meet new customers. I met one girl, she had never been here before. She was able to get out and explore Minden, meet everyone, have fun, and know what Minden offered. Now she’s a customer,” Eaton explained.
American Express started the Small Business Saturday campaign in 2010 to promote shopping with small businesses. In 2011 the Senate unanimously passed a resolution supporting the day. There were 7,200 Neighborhood Champions like Eaton around the country in 2017. Small Business Saturday brought in $12 billion in spending last year.
“Shopping local helps your economy. Small businesses are the first ones to support our events and support St. Jude.
When you have strong businesses, your town is stronger,” Eaton said.