Small Business Saturday: Many Chattanooga businesses hope buyers ‘shop small,’
“A big part of our business is building momentum for our clients and their brands.”
— BART SIMPSON OF FLYWHEEL BRANDS
Resa Roberts, who co-owns two boutiques in Chattanooga, says the Christmas season accounts for nearly a third of the business the stores are expected to ring up over a year’s time.
“Everybody needs the perfect outfit for the holiday season,” said Roberts. “It’s a popular time.”
Today, merchants mark Small Business Saturday. The aim is to bring more attention, and shopping, to their stores and small businesses generally.
Last year, through their promotional efforts and customer outreach, small business owners generated an estimated $15.4 billion dollars nationally on the day, according to American Express.
Roberts opened her second Luxe Boutique store in downtown Chattanooga on Black Friday at 55 E. Main St. Called Luxe Southside, she wanted to get the new location open to serve shoppers during the busy holiday period.
“We service cutting-edge trends,” she
said. “We pull in the local colleges and the artsy community.”
Caitlin Hyma, who does event planning and social media for Nooga Paws on downtown’s North Shore, said she’s expecting “a pretty big turnout” today.
“We’ll have a lot of deals for the brands we carry,” she said about the store that caters to the needs of dog and cat owners and was expected to host a visit from Mayor Andy Berke.
One benefit of a small business such as Nooga Paws is that owners and employees often know the customers names, Hyma said.
Bart Simpson, vice president of client development for Chattanooga-based brand marketing company Flywheel Brands, said the holidays are key to it and its clients.
“A big part of our business is building momentum for our clients and their brands,” he said. “This time of year we do a lot of employee and client recognition.”
Simpson said that Flywheel, which was one of three nominees by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce for small business of the year for 2017, said the company tries to help guide their clients to success.
Simpson said Chattanooga is primed for small and big businesses to grow.
“I’m encouraged by the atmosphere here for business,” he said. Simpson said that while Hixson has been home since the company was started, it’s looking at a potential secondary downtown location.
“That’s a long-term vision … with the way business is growing and how we can serve different clients,” he said about the venture that employs 11 people. Roberts termed Chattanooga “an up and coming town.”
Luxe Boutique’s first location was in Cookeville, Tenn., and Roberts and co-owner and sister-inlaw Crystal Roberts later expanded to Chattanooga’s North Shore and now to the Southside.