There used to be a time when a handful of days near the end of November looked something liked this:
- Thanksgiving
- Black Friday
- Small Business Saturday
- Cyber Monday
- Giving Tuesday
This year we’ve seen the commercials and have been bombarded by Black Friday deals and specials all month long.
It almost feels as if we’ve skipped Thanksgiving and have gone straight to Christmas. (No judging here if you’re already decked the halls. With the way 2020 has gone, we all need more joy in our days and more twinkly lights to help break up the darkness!)
But as you start thinking about your holiday gift list this year, and as actual Black Friday rolls around, we encourage you to consider Small Business Saturday a bit more than you may have in year’s past.
If you don’t know much about it, Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday dedicated to supporting small businesses across the country. It was founded by American Express in 2010 and is always held during the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, more than ever, think local, shop local and help support small businesses.
Small businesses offer plenty of unique gifts to meet your gift-giving needs. You won’t find a lot of duplicate items when you shop small. Instead, you’ll find thoughtful, intentional and curated gifts for everyone on your list.
Small businesses offer great customer service, too. Employees are attentive, friendly, available and knowledgeable. They often offer extra perks like gift wrapping, special boxes, or custom orders. As a family-owned, full-service bakery, here at Ashley’s we enjoy working on custom orders to help bring your special visions to life. We encourage people to call if they have questions for special requests or have unique needs.
You hear that small businesses are the backbone of our country. They’re also the heart of the community. Small businesses are the ones that help give back to our cities and towns. They help local students, local teens, other local businesses and more. Small businesses buy ads for the school yearbooks. They offer up items for silent auctions, support little league fundraisers and offer jobs to high school students.
Small businesses are essential to make a community strong and thriving.
This year has been long and difficult on everyone, and many small businesses have felt the weight of these trying times immensely. Small businesses have worked extra hard to be adaptive, following COVID guidelines and recommendations. Some businesses have changed hours, limited the number of shoppers in their store at one time, and perhaps even offered new options, like curbside pickup and contactless payment options.
Please know that we are grateful for the continued support of you, our customers. Over time, many of you have become dear friends and there is nothing we love more than being a part of your family traditions as you celebrate life deliciously.