ALLEGAN, Mich. (WOOD) — The start of the holiday shopping season is usually marked with Black Friday doorbusters, followed by Small Business Saturday sales. City officials and local business owners say that spending matters, especially in smaller communities.
The Sassy Olive in downtown Allegan was one of many shops filled with people Saturday morning. Owner Landria Johnson has been in business for 10 years and said heavy traffic days like this one helps her business prepare for the post-holiday slow down.
Ball Park Floral celebrates 120 years in West Side Grand Rapids
“There’s those little jokes that say real people do a happy dance, but we do. We get really excited when we make these sales, when people comment, ‘Hey, I’ve been to your store,'” she said. “There’s really people here that really appreciate the money people are choosing to spend here.”
Local businesses have been trying to add a personal touch to shopper’s visits in order to draw them into their stores instead of online sites like Amazon.
The city of Allegan and community partners hope offering free gift wrapping for locally bought gifts during Festive Fridays will convince residents and visitors to keep their dollars local.
After months of slowdown, W MI economy shows growth signs
Downtown Manager Parker Johnson said 67 cents of every locally spend dollar stays in a community.
“That makes a big impact when we talk about making improvements to our roads and sidewalks,” he said. “That’s how the city was able to do that. … We could budget correctly because we have a strong economic support down here.”
Those dollars are out there.
The Michigan Retailers Association’s retail index tracks the industry’s activity. Just last week, the association said October’s report reached 54.5 points out of 100, the first positive activity index since June 2023. Vice President of Communications Vic Veda said while larger stores might see slight changes with extra holiday buying, it’s the local ones that see larger waves.
Inside WOODTV.com: Building West Michigan
“Larger retailers may not notice the extra three or four purchases in a day with consumers being more intentional but those small businesses absolutely do especially this time of year,” she said. “Four or five extra purchases a day though the rest of the holiday season can be huge for these local retailers.”
The association said retailers are feeling overall confident in their three-month outlook into January, with some worried about a decrease in sales during the post-holiday season.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.