Small Business Saturday gains momentum in Albany

ALBANY — As more people have become aware of the impact of small businesses, the concept of Small Business Saturday has made some progress in getting holiday shoppers to look outside of the bigger retailers.

Terry Hoffman, owner of Cycle World on Dawson Road, said the response can vary for his business. Sometimes it is a busy Saturday, other years it is just a typical weekend. He said the campaign does tend to bring in new customers, or customers who have not been in the shop for some time.

Hoffman is grateful to American Express and the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, both of which have been active in promoting the “shop small” effort.

“Customers are starting to understand shopping small,” he said Saturday morning. “We have been open an hour and it has been pretty decent traffic so far.”

Matt Meier, a Cycle World customer, is a big believer in small businesses because they appear to offer something the bigger businesses cannot.

“I am so small business,” Meier said. “The big businesses make too much money. Small business gives you the follow-up and one-on-one attention. Walmart doesn’t know me at all. It’s the small businesses that hire people; big businesses don’t.

“There is so much competition for the dollar that chain stores have a huge advantage. I think big stores are at a disadvantage because they can’t give quality service.”

Royal Collection has been in business for 30 years, and has since gained a loyal customer base of individuals who prefer the boutique setting in which to do their clothes shopping. Small Business Saturday has helped give the store a boost.

“We hit the ground running this morning,” said Royal Collection Owner Terri Stumpe on Saturday. “We anticipate a good day. In the last few years, with the word getting out, American Express has done a good job and so has the chamber.

“We always anticipate a good day.”

As word of Small Business Saturday has gotten around, Stumpe said she has noticed activity pick up — indicating that shoppers have become more aware of the importance of supporting small businesses. Stumpe said she has gotten feedback from some customers who have said they are making a point of spending their money at small businesses this holiday season.

This is a very meaningful attitude to business owners like Stumpe, who simply do not have the advertising dollars some of her competitors do. It tells her that her money has been well spent.

“There is a lot of emphasis on big stores,” she said. “There is no way small businesses like us can compete with those stores.”

Carolyn Scott, a retired educator, is a long-time Royal Collection customer who has developed a strong relationship with Stumpe over the years. Scott said she is a boutique shopper anyway, but that she also views a strengthening of the Albany area’s economy through small businesses as a good way to market the region.

“I am trying to shop local business, especially here because they have a style that I like,” Scott said. “(Stumpe) has the personality, and she knows everyone’s name.

“She works with us, and you can’t get that in larger department stores.”

Place on the Pointe opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday and when its employees got there, shoppers were already waiting outside the door to get in. The Westgate Drive store’s traffic flow was still going strong hours later, indicating that Small Business Saturday was going to be successful for the gift shop this year.

“It is busier than I thought it would be,” said Laura Smith, a sales associate at the store. “On Small Business Saturday, people love to go to their favorite shops. It is great to have the community support of small businesses.

“Usually when it starts like this, it is a busy Saturday.”

Betsy Ross Cox, a Place on the Pointe customer, grew up in small business, and is a small business owner herself. Her background gives her an appreciation for the things sometimes not often found in larger stores.

“(Shopping small) is just keeping it in the community,” she said.

Chris Phillips, owner of Wild Side Running, said this year’s Small Business Saturday got a slower start at his business than he would like, but that such a response was not completely unexpected. Despite that he said he is grateful for the support small businesses have gotten.

“Albany does a great job of supporting small businesses,” he said. “We may not get record sales today, but it kick starts everything going forward as far as the holiday season. We hope it gets people in the mood to shop.

“It is the starting point for us.”