Local businesses prepare for Small Business Saturday

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - The season for holiday shopping is here, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to hurt your pockets.

Saturday provides the perfect opportunity for you to invest in the perfect gifts for reasonable prices, all for a greater cause.

Beth Hoskinson is the co-owner of The Looking Glass Consignment shop in downtown Clarksburg. It is a store that provides guests with opportunities to buy used, high valued items.

“I laugh because I see the posters but, they’re true. They help pay for the dance lessons. They help pay for the instrument lessons for that child that goes on to be the next musician, the next ballerina or the next ball player. It helps feed the family and keeps them going, and it helps you find things that are different than you that they have 97 of at a box store. You find the right thing, for the right person, made the right way,” Hoskinson said.

Although we know Black Friday as the day many holiday shoppers choose to seek out deals, Saturday serves as day shoppers can not only get their holiday shopping done within a reasonable price but also invest in local businesses that may sometimes get overlooked.

Small business Saturday gives life to independent business owners throughout the U.S. in order to increase business engagement and remind local communities of their hidden gems.

“We try hard to do things the right way every single time. We try to treat people like family, like we would want to be treated. The grace of God, lots of hard work, lots of blood sweat and tears, lots of late nights. Truly, the grace of God is probably the biggest reason. With lots of hard work and lots of community support, people just remembering we’re here.”

For other local businesses, like Artworks in Bridgeport and owner Lotus MacDowell, Saturday serves as another reminder that these businesses have a profound impact on the communities they serve.

“It really makes us feel that we matter to the community,” MacDowell said. “When they come out and support us and show us, they specifically do it that day because it is that day. But that day is affirmation that what you’re doing in the community is worth wild and it’s good.”

Artworks provides Bridgeport and surrounding communities with fine jewelry, pottery, and gifts for all ages. But part of the reason you might want to shop here rather than major retailers is due to the idea you’ll always find something new every time you visit.

“Everybody wants to keep growing, and I think when I go every year to the trade shows and you pick out things that have never been here before, everybody knows that the minute they walk in this door there’s going to be something new and exciting that they can see. And if you have the same thing over and over again, you get stale and it’s no fun anymore for us or the people buying the product. So, we really try every year to have new lines and we phase out other lines that we’ve had maybe for a couple of years to always keep it fresh.”

Keeping something new on the shelves is a crucial part of the small business process, but it’s even more important to never forget about the little guys.

“Hey don’t forget the little places. It’s easy to go to the mall where you got 97 stores, and I go there too. You find great things, but don’t forget the small businesses because they count on y’all.”

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