From left, Franklin resident Sarah Summers and her two children Arthur Riley, 10, and Zada Riley, 7, browse cookbooks at Wild Geese Bookshop on Wednesday in Franklin.
Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
Small businesses in Johnson County and across the country are gearing up for one of their biggest shopping days of the year.
Black Friday’s good deals don’t stop with chain stores. Most small businesses across the county will have deals all weekend long, starting on Friday and ending on Saturday or Sunday, depending on their business hours.
Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday created by American Express in 2010 to give small businesses a boost during the recession. It has since become a cherished tradition that promotes shopping small on this day and year-round.
To commemorate the holiday, local shoppers can attend a kick-off celebration hosted by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce to receive tote bags stuffed with coupons, free gifts and samples. The kick-off event will also have refreshments and other treats, said Rosie Chambers, the Chamber’s executive director.
The 11th annual Start Here Open House will take place at Franklin Chamber’s downtown office, 120 E. Jefferson St., from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday. Chamber officials will be handing out tote bags and shopper incentives like coupons. The bags will include store information, coupons and swag from local businesses.
These bags are special, as they say, “Genuine Franklin,” which is the new marketing campaign the chamber is doing on behalf of the city and its businesses. The tote bags will go fast, and there will likely be a line at the door before 10 a.m., Chambers said.
People come back year after year for a chance at winning Chamber Cash, a coupon for money off a purchase at participating small businesses. The first 100 people to come through the chamber’s doors will get an envelope containing between $10 and $100 in Chamber Cash to spend at participating shops, she said.
A total of $1,500 in Chamber Cash is up for grabs, which can be used at 19 participating businesses, Chambers said. The initiative is made possible through sponsorships from within the chamber.
Similar to last year, there will be sidewalk stickers denoting which businesses are open. However, just because a business has a sticker, it does not mean they are taking part in Chamber Cash, Chambers said.
“It’s a nice visual as you are walking down the street and you look and see how many of those bright blue stickers are participating and are open that day,” she said.
This year’s open house will also feature special guests, however, their identities are being kept secret until Saturday, Chambers said.
In the past, Restore Old Town Greenwood would also hold a Small Business Saturday kick-off event. However, because of the recent holiday open house, they are not, said Darcy Miles, a member of ROTG.
“We just knew they were so busy doing all of that that to get them to turn around, and try to do that for us at the same time would just be too much for for all the businesses,” Miles said.
Instead, the organization is highlighting deals from Old Town businesses on their Facebook page, encouraging shoppers to take part in the shopping holiday.
“ROTG encourages you to shop local while doing your holiday shopping this year and will be sharing some of the wonderful gifts and services you can find in Old Town Greenwood,” the organization wrote in a Facebook event.
Local retailers in Bargersville, Edinburgh and other small towns in Johnson County will participate in the big day, too, though there aren’t planned events in those communities.
Small Business Saturday is a good reminder to consumers that they have alternatives when it comes to buying items from store chains, said Tiffany Lauderdale Phillips, owner of Wild Geese Bookshop. The bookshop, located on Madison Street in Franklin, has been open for seven years.
It’s also a reminder of why small businesses are so important, she said.
“It’s a nice reminder that this is what we love. This is what we’re trying to build, and let’s continue to grow meaningful businesses that support our community,” Lauderdale Phillips said.
By supporting small businesses, shoppers can contribute to the growth of a community, Chambers said.
“Small businesses are often neighbors and friends who make up the fabric of the local economies, creating jobs, generating income that circulates within the community,” she said. “We’re encouraging people to shop small on Small Business Saturday, but all year long to help support these businesses that give so much back to their communities in which they’re located.”
Small businesses can provide residents with opportunities to experience different types of unique places that can’t be experienced anywhere else. As an example, Lauderdale Phillips cited how a lot of Franklin small businesses have local vendors or locally-made products. They also tend to partner up to make them, she said.
“For example, we have printed products and clothing and candles that we make with other local businesses,” Lauderdale Phillips said. “So when you’re buying a product in our store, you’re often setting forward that economic flywheel in other places in the community and contributing to local tax dollars.”
Chambers says local small businesses are very optimistic heading into the holiday season, though there are concerns about the effects of inflation as well.
The holiday season is crucial for small businesses because they tend to have slower foot traffic in January and February, said Jennifer McAlpin-Shireman, the owner of Vintage Whimsy. The Franklin shop has been open for 11 years on Jefferson Street.
However, being in downtown Franklin does have a benefit. Small businesses here are fortunate to have a lot of local residents and people from Central Indiana come to shop, McAlpin-Shireman said.
“Franklin’s kind of become a destination because there are so many small businesses,” she said. “So it’s not just people from Franklin, but people from all over that are taking time to come support people like us.”
People in the community also understand why small businesses are so important to support, Lauderdale Phillips said.
“I feel like my business in particular would not work in a lot of different communities,” she said. “But it works in Franklin because people in our community understand that we’re all connected and that we can all support each other in more meaningful ways when we work together.”
Both Wild Geese Bookshop and Vintage Whimsy will be open on Small Business Saturday. Wild Geese will be accepting Chamber Cash, but Vintage Whimsy will not. Vintage Whimsy will have Christmas specials of their own, McAlpin-Shireman said.
OTHER SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY EVENTS
Shop Small Saturday Christmas Event
What: The first annual event at Apple Works will feature food, drinks, a family selfie station, live blacksmith demonstrations and a Holiday Artisan Gift Market. Kids activities include letters to Santa and making reindeer food. Santa and Mrs. Claus will make an appearance from 2 to 5 p.m. People can buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win a gift basket full of items from the market, or buy fresh-cut Christmas trees from Michigan.
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Apple Works, 8157 S. County Road 250W, Trafalgar
Christmas at The Wildes
What: Families can find the perfect Christmas tree while enjoying live music, warm drinks and more. They can also shop from the Wildes Mercantile.
When: 1 to 5 p.m.
Where: The Wildes, 4919 W. County Road 300S, Trafalgar
Cost: Tickets which do not include a tree are $55. Tickets that do include a tree are $125. To purchase tickets, go to thewildes.in.
