City pushes Small Business Saturday
Wants shoppers to buy #5onMain
Lindsay Tia Reilly of Quincy hung up the Christmas lights, popped open the champagne and made sure her fashion products — the jumpsuits, rompers, High Key shades and more — were perfect for what turned out to be dozens of customers headed to her Dorchester fashion boutique for Small Business Saturday. The Cue, a fashion boutique that opened in October of last year, is designed for “trendy professionals” by Reilly, 27. It was one of dozens of small businesses in Boston and across Massachusetts that opened its doors to what is unofficially the kick off to the holiday shopping season for local stores. “It is one of my favorite days,” Reilly told the Herald. “It kicks off the holiday season for us.” Small Business Saturday started in 2010 as a counter to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when big box stores and the internet dominate shopping sales. Small businesses owners say it is an opportunity to showcase their shops to the local community and support the neighborhood. “It is a small knit community,” Reilly said. “It is an asset to build in our local community.” Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who visited The Cue, hopes more businesses will thrive. He launched the #5onMain Challenge to encourage residents to support local businesses at least five times this holiday season. “It is important to try to support local business all the time,” Walsh said. “They are the heart and soul of our communities. A lot of our main streets and small businesses are geared around neighborhoods. With online shopping and the malls, it takes away from our businesses, so we’re asking people as they enjoy the holiday season to try to buy five to 10 gifts in the neighborhood.” “Small businesses make up a huge percentage of the economy in the city of Boston and our small business owners are really the heart of the city and we want to make sure we are supporting them,” said Natalia Urtubey, the city’s director of small business in the Office of Economic Development.