The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Small Business Saturday brings energy to downtown
Shoppers bring vibrancy to busy day
NEW HAVEN — In an alternative to the mall madness of Black Friday, a large number of shoppers came to downtown New Haven to participate in Small Business Saturday, a nationwide effort that is gathering momentum.
Buoyed by unseasonably warm weather and sunny skies, consumers came in to enjoy an ice sculptor and roaming Christmas carolers, activities coordinated by the city of New Haven, Town Green District and the Shops at Yale.
Meanwhile, Town Green District intern Samantha Livan was handing out free popcorn at the INFO New Haven Center on the corner of Chapel and College streets. “It started slowly but now we’re starting to see more people, a lot of families,” she said. “Some of them are too busy to stop for popcorn.
They’re on a mission. I’m the same way when I shop.”
“We love Small Business Saturday,” said Kimberly Pedrick, who owns the Chapel Street shop Idiom, selling clothing, artisan jewelry and accessories. “It’s got energy and vibrancy. It definitely does bring in an influx of people.”
Pedrick kept a bowl of free cookies by her door and customers making a purchase received a free “Shop Small” bag.
Joanne Saccio, who was shopping at Idiom for clothes for her daughter, said, “This is my favorite store and these are my favorite salespeople. I’m a real shop-in-New-Haven person. I don’t like going out of town.”
A little farther up Chapel Street, Merwin’s Art Shop owner Rob Muller looked out his window and said, “It does seem like a lot of foot traffic.” He noted it’s hard to tell which customers came in to his store because it was Small Business Saturday.
“I think it’s a positive thing they’re doing,” he said of the special day. “Anything to get people coming to downtown New Haven.”
Muller said he closed his store on Black Friday in order to give his employees a break.
David DelVecchio of the Office of New Haven and State Affairs/University Properties for Yale, stood on Chapel Street and said, “We’re happy with the turnout. The weather couldn’t be better. It’s a little busier than we expected.”
David Cadden, Quinnipiac University professor emeritus, noted Small Business Saturday was created
“I think it’s a positive thing they’re doing.” Rob Muller, Merwin’s Art Shop
in 2010 by American Express and is getting more popular every year.
“I think there’s an affection for small businesses,” said Cadden, who formerly was in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Quinnipiac. “People know those businesses are more responsive to local needs and trends and are creating jobs. People want to support small businesses in their local communities.”
In 2015, about 95 million customers participated in Small Business Saturday, generating $16.2 billion. Last year, 112 million shoppers came out, 13 percent more than the previous year, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.
On the sidewalk outside WAVE Gallery, ice sculptor Gary Costa of Burlington, Connecticut,was drawing a small crowd by creating an Elm City elf from ice, using a chainsaw, die grinder and chisels.
“Hopefully, I’ll finish it in about two hours,” Costa said. “It’s a little warm. Thirty-two degrees would be perfect today but it’s not gonna happen.”
Costa, who has been doing this on weekends for 27 years, works for Ice Matters, which will provide sculptors every weekend up to Christmas. They are being paid by the Shops at Yale.
John Farquhar of Hamden was so transfixed by Costa’s work that Costa invited him to cut some ice himself. Farquhar, who does wood carvings at his home, agreed to try it, then reported, “He makes it look easier than it is. I’d be afraid of tipping the whole thing over.”
Farquhar was in New Haven with his wife, Elaine. “We come here most Saturdays,” he said. “It’s kind of like our weekend thing: shopping, get some coffee.”
The Atticus Bookstore & Cafe, which has outlasted other small independent bookstores in New Haven, had a line of customers buying books Saturday afternoon at 1080 Chapel St. A chalkboard message outside stated: “Support your local bookstore” and the message on the other side was “’Tis the season for a turntable.”
Over at the Group W Bench, the city’s perennial ‘60s boutique, the smell of incense was in the air as usual and Katey Hauser, of Branford, was bopping down the aisles and snapping her fingers to an Otis Redding tune.
“We have friends visiting from Canada, so I thought we’d do the Chapel Street stroll,” she said.
Asked about Small Business Saturday, Hauser said, “I think it’s a great concept. Much better than Black Friday. I don’t even go to the malls on a good day. I’m much more about supporting the locals.”