Embrace entrepreneurs on Small Business Saturday


  • November 27, 2015
  • /   Carlton Proctor
  • /   community-dashboard

The SOGO shopping district should be bustling Saturday.

Too much Black Friday frenzy?

The "bargains" all gone by the time you elbowed your way through the crowds? Had to park a half mile away from the action?

Wish you'd stayed home, and enjoyed the relative peace and quiet?

If you answered "yes" to any, or all, of the above, Downtown Pensacola has just the right antidote for your Black Friday hangover.

It's Small Business Saturday, and downtown merchants are seeing more and more customers avoiding the crowds, and enjoying a much more leisurely shopping experience.

Promoted nationwide by American Express, Small Business Saturday is catching on, says longtime downtown jeweler Bob Meadows.

"I think there's a little bit of a movement going on with this Small Business Saturday," Meadows said. "Spend your money with the people who spend their money locally. Support the people who support you. I really think there's some momentum there."

Enough momentum for Meadows to change his post-Thanksgiving store hours.

"Historically for us Friday is about people camping out in front of big box stores, looking for deals at the mall or at Best Buy," he said. "I can't, and don't want to, compete with that."

The Downtown Improvement Board is actively seeking choral groups, church choirs and children's singing groups to carol on the steps of the Bank of Pensacola, T.T. Wentworth Florida State Museum, Artel art gallery and a few balconies.

If you are interested please email [email protected] The DIB staff will schedule your time slots for between 6 and 7 p.m. week nights now through Christmas.

As he and his wife, Deb, always do, their shop will be closed on Friday, and will be joined by many other downtown retailers who don't fight Black Friday.

But, due in large part to the Small Business Saturday movement, the shop will be open all day on Saturday for the first time in years.

"We're going to try it out and see how it goes," Meadows said.

One of downtown's oldest businesses, Elebash Jewelers, also is solidly behind the Small Business Saturday promotions.

"I think it's a great concept," said store manager Patrick Elebash. "This is the second or third year American Express has been promoting it, and I would agree with the other downtown merchants that the shop local movement is gaining momentum and name recognition, and people are talking about it."

One major reason for the momentum behind Small Business Saturday, said businesswoman Susan Campbell, is that with every passing holiday season downtown Pensacola has much more to offer shoppers.

{{business_name}}Susan Campbell arranges jewelry in her store off Palafox. Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today

Susan Campbell arranges jewelry in her store off Palafox. Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today

"The Palafox core of businesses has grown significantly over the past two years, both to the north and south of its previous footprint," said Campbell. "Within this past year the restaurant Iron located downtown, the Rex Theater renovation was completed, and the Ruby Slipper opened, and just this past week our newest clothing boutique, the Barefoot Gypsy, opened its door for the first time."

Campbell, a board member of the Downtown Improvement Board, also noted the opening of On the Avenue antiques and the anticipated opening this week of Coastal Paddle Company.

"All this makes downtown Pensacola unique on the Gulf Coast, not only for our year-round culture and history, but especially for the large number of quality locally owned and operated small business," Campbell said.

"We've got many exciting new businesses, and all the old favorites."

Just beyond the Palafox core lie other thriving business centers.

At the heart of one of these neighborhood epicenters is Duh, the interior design store that's celebrating its 15th year in business at Ninth Avenue and East Wright Street.

Co-owner Jim Rigsbee said Duh doesn't do anything special for Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, other than stay open during normal business hours.

{{business_name}}Duh

Fridays and Saturdays after Thanksgiving have traditionally been very busy days for us because a lot of our customers are people who don't want to do to the mall," he said. "We've never really had any promotions for the days after Thanksgiving."

One new wrinkle to Duh's holiday schedule will have the store open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Christmas.

One other holiday feature added to the store this year is the string lighting placed on a large oak tree on Duh property fronting Ninth Avenue.

"It took three days to get all the lighting in place," Rigsbee said. "We turned the lights on for the first time Tuesday evening, and it's already gone wild on our Facebook page. People are bringing their children by at night to see it."

And, speaking of lights, Downtown's holiday lights along Palafox Place will be turned on tonight at 5 p.m. by the DIB.

Holiday shopping is in full swing in downtown Pensacola, and merchants are anticipating a banner season of sales.

"We seeing the shopping season already started in our store," said Elebash. "We've decorated for Christmas. It feels like Christmas. And people are shopping like it's Christmas."

 
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