Officials plug Small Business Saturday

RHODE ISLAND officials on Tuesday met in Newport to kick off Small Business Saturday, a movement designed to support small businesses during the holiday season.
RHODE ISLAND officials on Tuesday met in Newport to kick off Small Business Saturday, a movement designed to support small businesses during the holiday season.

NEWPORT – Rhode Island officials on Tuesday met in Newport to kick off Small Business Saturday, a movement designed to support small businesses during the holiday season.
Gov. Gina M. Raimondo was scheduled to meet with members of the Rhode Island federal delegation, along with Neil D. Steinberg, president of the Rhode Island Foundation, and Mark Hayward, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration of Rhode Island. The kick off event, held in conjunction with the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, included a walking tour in Newport’s downtown to visit multiple small businesses.
“Small businesses have a tremendous impact on our state’s economy and in particular in local communities,” Hayward said in prepared remarks. “These are your friends, your family and your neighbors and by shopping small you are sending a message that we support you.”
The SBA estimates there are more than 96,000 small businesses in Rhode Island employing more than 220,000 employees. Raimondo is urging people to shop local and support small businesses on Saturday, but also year round.
“These businesses are the lifeblood of our economy,” she said.
Small Business Saturday is technically on Nov. 26, but advocates are encouraging consumers to consider shopping local throughout the holiday season. Different parts of the state are partaking in multiple ways, including in Providence where the Hope Street Association is hosting a street festival with food trucks and 30 local businesses, which are slated to offer 15 percent off sales. The East Side association will also be lighting up the entire street with holiday lights for the first time.
American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business conducted a survey earlier this month and are predicting consumers plan to spend record amounts at small businesses this year. The survey, dubbed Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, revealed 49 percent of respondents who are aware of Small Business Saturday plan to shop at small businesses and they plan to spend more this year than last year – which was the highest amount yet recorded, according to the survey. Two thirds of respondents said they plan to spend at least $100 on the day.
In collaboration with the Rhode Island Foundation’s Buy Local RI campaign, which encourages people to shop at local businesses, the SBA will be promoting additional shop-local events throughout Rhode Island:

  • Nov. 23 – Noon to 2 p.m., Two Ten Oyster Bar, South Kingstown
  • Nov. 25 – Noon to 2 p.m., Building Blocks Toy Store, Block Island
  • Nov. 28 – 3 to 5 p.m., Harbor Bath & Body, Bristol
  • Nov. 29 – 10 a.m. to noon, Wright’s Dairy Farm, North Smithfield
  • Nov. 30 – 4 to 6 p.m., Noon Designs, Pawtuxet Village
  • Dec. 1 – 3 to 5 p.m., Serendipity, Wickford
  • Dec. 2 – 4 to 6 p.m., Sip n’ Shop, downtown Providence

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