Spotlight on small businesses Saturday in Eastern Connecticut
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Nov. 25—Paula St. Jean of Colchester is a self-described Costco addict and the big-box retailer is one of the reasons she travels to East Lyme so frequently. But Costco was not in her plans on Saturday.
St. Jean joined her grandchildren, Peter, 8, and Ella, 5, on a trip to Niantic with family that wasn't all about shopping. She also expected there would be hot cocoa, cookie decorating and Santa letter writing for the kids.
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St. Jean walked along Main Street to join the crowds of people for the 20th Annual Holiday Stroll, part of the national Small Business Saturday. The day was created to highlight small businesses and the positive impact they have on local communities. The day is nestled in between Black Friday and Cyber Monday when the larger retailers tend to get the attention.
"This is just a beautiful town and I love the little shops. They all have something to offer that I don't think you can duplicate in other places, definitely not at a place like Walmart," St. Jean said.
St. Jean had just visited Anna Pearl's Curiosities and Olde Red Saltbox on Main Street but the grandkids appeared to be getting restless and the group's next stop was Elf Central for instructions on a scavenger hunt.
At Past To Present, an antique shop at 260 Main St. in Niantic, customers browsed through holiday decorations and at the "Tis' the Season" pop-up shop at the front of store. Store owner Josh Haderski said Tis' the Season was a nod to the name of the shop his grandmother had run at the same location for many years before he opened up about a decade ago.
Haderski, who is a board member of Niantic Main Street, the organization that hosted Saturday's event, said Saturday is a good kickoff to the holiday season that is so crucial financially for so many businesses.
"It's a holiday open house of sorts," Haderski said. "Historically, it's a very good day for all the merchants in town."
Small Business Saturday was celebrated in southeastern Connecticut communities in a variety of different ways.
The Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a shop local holiday bazaar at the Holiday Inn in Norwich, showcasing one-of-a-kind items from 75 different vendors. Chamber President Angela Adams said the event was a great way to showcase vendors who either don't have a brick and mortar store or who do but know the event can get them a little bit more exposure.
Former Electric Boat carpenter Richard Longo, founder of RNL Woodturning, offered up an array of handmade wooden bowls and other unique items he created at his home workshop in Norwich. Woodturning is a craft that involves use of hand tools and a lathe — similar to a potter's wheel — to carve a piece of wood into a variety of objects.