HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — It's a day dedicated to getting people to support their local shops, but this Small Business Saturday — and the holidays — come as higher costs stressing families' finances.
But advocates for local businesses believe the foot traffic will come.
"We have a price-conscious shopper. However, they're ready to spend. It's the holiday season. The National Retail Federation projects families will spend on average $890 this holiday shopping season," said Jenny Crittenden, President and CEO of Retail Alliance, a Norfolk-based trade association that supports locally-owned businesses.
Although prices might be higher at small businesses, compared to their 'big box' competitors, she says shopping a family-owned store has its benefits:
- Specialized gifts
- Personalization
- Better customer service
The organization put together a 'gift guide' to help steer people toward "Main Street" businesses. When asked if tighter budgets would keep families from shopping local, she said this:
"I think it's actually a myth. I believe people will lean into the holiday spirit and shop local and support their mom-and-pop businesses that are right here in the Hampton Roads region."
One of those businesses hoping to get a piece of the pie is Bloom OV in Norfolk's East Ocean View neighborhood.
Navy veteran Andrea Olachia opened her flower shop in July to strong sales, but she says revenues have faded as the weather cooled.
"Once September hit, we started to see a shift in business," she tells News 3.
After filling flower orders for Thanksgiving, Olachia says she's preparing for people to come in and shop the gift shop portion of her store on Shore Drive — with products special-ordered with gift giving in mind.
"I'm gonna do a self-care kit. So candles, bath bombs, shower steamers," she said. "We're also gonna do a Taylor Swift kit, so I have some 'Showgirl' candles, hats."
Olachia says it's hard to compete with lower-cost flowers in grocery stores. She sources local flowers as much as she can to help keep costs low and money in the community, but she adds that tariffs have affected the local farms she sources from and the flowers she needs to import.
She's also had a hard time hiring staff to help with big holidays like Valentine's Day and big events.
"The people that come in have no experience with florals or even arranging, recreationally. They want to learn it here, so the staffing that I have hired, I'm training them from the ground up," she said, adding that she finally feels like she has a staff that can handle the job.
Crittenden says staffing is still a big problem for local shops, in particular, even years after the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the job market. She tells News 3 that Olachia's method — having to train from the ground up — is actually a benefit when working for a family-owned business.
She says small businesses can offer flexible hours, often better training and give employees more of a stake in how the business is run.
