Downtown boutique plans to do Small Business Saturday big

ALBANY — One local Albany business is trying to encourage community members to shop local on Small Business Saturday.

Downtown Dawsyn Boutique in downtown Albany is promoting the annual event encouraging shoppers to buy local by hosting one of their biggest events and offering customers with a receipt from another local business a raffle entry for a $50 gift card to the boutique.

“Many times we grow accustomed to going to the same place to shop or eating at the same restaurants, so we are hoping this will encourage people to try a new (local) spot,” Morgan Layfield, owner of the downtown business, said.

The business originally started as an e-commerce store but received a lot of local support, prompting Layfield to open a physical location. Layfield said she knew she wanted the business to be downtown and to be a part of the efforts to revitalize the area.

The boutique sells young contemporary-style apparel and accessories for young women as well as handmade jewelry by local designers.

The event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving will last from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event will also include other small businesses like Jethro’s Coffee Company, which will provide a coffee bar for shoppers, and some of the vendors at the boutique will be present on Saturday as well.

Katie Curry, a local artist whose artwork is located in the boutique, will be at the boutique drawing live portraits for customers. Two other vendors, Salvage Addict, and Adelaide Beads, will be there as well with new pieces that haven’t been seen yet in the store. Local music artist Devon Cooper will play acoustic music outside for attendees to enjoy.

“Customers will be able to sip on coffee, munch on local-made snacks, shop our newest arrivals, and meet the people behind these amazing small businesses,” Layfield said.

Layfield said she believes it’s important to encourage community members to shop local because of the unique experience local businesses provide.

“I think it’s important to emphasize Small Business Saturday because it showcases the amazing businesses that make our city so unique,” she said. “Local businesses are establishments that you just can’t find anywhere.”

Layfield also knows that small, locally owned businesses offer a familiarity and friendly environment for customers because they are often family-run businesses.

“Shopping small supports individuals and their families who live in your very own community,” she said. “We are a family-run business, so when you come in and shop with us, you will either see myself, the owner, running the store, or my sister, Miranda Phillips. We appreciate every single one of our shoppers, and we hope when they leave our store they feel a part of the family.”

This is the first time Layfield has hosted such a big event at her business, but she said she hopes to be able to do something similar on a monthly basis. She also said she wants to continue to promote and support Small Business Saturday in the coming years.

Gypsy Crow