Businesses in both Homewood and Flossmoor will welcome shoppers Nov. 26 for national Small Business Saturday, thanks in part to the newly revived Flossmoor Business Association (FBA).
Sponsored nationally by American Express since 2010, the day is designed to encourage holiday shoppers to patronize small, local business establishments. Nestled between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which features big box retail and e-commerce shopping, Small Business Saturday invites residents to spend their dollars close to home.
In Flossmoor, the event is the first promotion for the FBA. President Doyle Sims, owner of Designed by Doyle Salon, said the group is reaching beyond downtown Flossmoor to include all small businesses in town.
“We can all work together in a stronger combined effort to encourage people to shop locally,” he said.
Other FBA board members are vice president, Joann Lindholm, owner of Fresh Starts Restaurant; secretary, Jacqui Malizia, managing broker at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; and treasurer, William Villarreal, branch manager and assistant vice president at US Bank.
Also geared up for Small Business Saturday is the Homewood Business Association. President Julie Lawton, owner of Upsa Daisy Boutique said the HBA has been involved with the event for five years.
“Our community has been very supportive of HBA-sponsored events and businesses and we look forward to Small Business Saturday,” she said.
“I think the public is generally getting back to the idea of shopping small and understanding the importance of doing that in order to have a thriving business district. I also think our customers enjoy the smaller, friendlier atmosphere of our shops and the specialty items we carry that they can’t find in the larger chain stores.”