RICHLAND COUNTY, Ohio – For the first time, Small Business Saturday is a countywide effort.
Instead of hosting independent initiatives this Saturday, the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce; Main Street Books; Be Focal, Buy Local; Shelby Area Business Group; Clear Fork Valley Chamber of Commerce; and Ontario Growth Association have collaborated to make the national event more interesting this year.
“We’re doing a passport,” said Jodie Perry, president of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. “Basically, for people to have a chance to win a prize, they have to visit any of the businesses involved, and the businesses will have a stamp or a sticker for the passports.”
Each stamp represents an entry to win one of nearly 40 prizes, Perry continued. No purchase is necessary – all prospective consumers need to do is walk into any of the 65 participating county businesses and have his or her passport stamped.
For example, if a person visits 10 participating businesses, he or she will receive 10 entries.
After each person’s “trip” is made, passports can be dropped off at Richland Carrousel Park in Mansfield, Main Street Books in Mansfield, The Blueberry Patch in Lexington, Possum Run Greenhouse in Bellville, Norwalk – the Furniture Idea/McCready Interiors in Ontario, and Connie’s Place/Avon Store in Shelby.
Passports must be received by Nov. 30 to be counted and are available at all the participating vendors.
“A lot of the businesses – I would say 75 percent of them – are offering some kind of special deal that day,” Perry said. “It could be a percentage off, it could be any variety of things.”
All of the special discounts offered by businesses are included on the passports.
“That’s really our goal: Encourage people to think local,” Perry said. “Of course, we know they’re going to go out on Black Friday, and that’s totally fine, but to also think of their friends and neighbors who are small business owners the next day.”
Small Business Saturday is an initiative started by American Express in 2010. To help local businesses take charge of the day, American Express in 2012 started helping businesses promote with free personalized ads.
“It’s American Express sponsored – they gave us a lot of swag to give away – but here it’s really something we’re doing locally,” Perry said.
Fowler, owner of Main Street Books, unofficially enrolled Mansfield into the initiative in 2013.
“I signed up Mansfield (for the American Express backing) without telling anybody,” she said laughing.
Main Street Books is offering 10-percent-off purchases Saturday with another local business receipt.
“It’s so much more for me than Black Friday shopping because people are coming in, and they’re coming because they want to support they’re community and fellow citizens,” Fowler said. “They’re not looking for deals or super-popular toys, so it doesn’t have that air of competition – it’s just fun.”
She added that it is her biggest day of the year.
“I’m excited about that the whole county is doing it this year,” she said. “I’m really interested to see how it works in our neighboring communities, and I hope that people really take advantage of the passport.”
Connie Roub, owner of Connie’s Place in Shelby, said this is her fourth year in business.
“Shop small means to me sharing the wealth,” she said. “I open up my doors to other small businesses in the community, and we call it the holiday store, and it goes every Saturday until Christmas.
“I like to give, and that’s my way of giving back to the community and to the other small businesses.”
Connie’s Place, 24 W. Main St. in Shelby, is one of the passport dropoffs.
“I would say (small businesses) are a cornerstone of the community – I don’t think you can overstate the importance,” Perry said. “Oftentimes when people are looking at a community and how they feel about a community, they think of these exact types of businesses.
“They may not employ large groups of people; however, they bring vibrancy to the community. They add flavor to the community.”
Support for the Passport program is provided by the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce and Medical Mutual.
