Community Corner
West Hartford Business Buzz for Nov. 24: The Small Business Edition
Small business Saturday is Nov. 30.
This week I’m departing from the normal routine in Business Buzz to highlight Small Business Saturday.
Some view the call to celebrate and shop at small businesses on Saturday, Nov. 30 - the day after what’s commonly known as Black Friday - as nothing more than a marketing ploy by American Express.
But West Hartford resident Leon Davidoff, who owns The Paper Station stationery store in Newington, said that it’s anything but.
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Davidoff, who said he has participated in the event in each of the last four years, said that last year’s Small Business Saturday was his store’s highest-grossing day in terms of inventory.
A vibrant small business community is essential to the overall health of the community, Davidoff said.
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“The crux of what makes America great is small business,” Davidoff said. “We’re your neighbors - not total strangers. Most of the money spent [at small businesses] is reinvested in the community. We use that money to pay our taxes and pay our mortgage. …
“We’re all in this together,” Davidoff said. “We’re a community. We’re people’s neighbors. We’re the front line when people ask for door prizes and to sponsor raffles. We’re here helping you, and we need your help.”
Davidoff said that there is more to shopping than just clicking buttons on a computer. When people drop into local shops, they can see and touch products, Davidoff said.
“It’s so easy, the whole ‘click, click’ and you get free shipping,” Davidoff said. “But if that succeeds and [the other business model doesn’t], what are you going to go walking around cente for? What are you going to go to Park Road for? Just to eat?”
Shopping, Davidoff said, is just like Friday’s Hall-Conard football game.
“It’s an event,” he said. “More than ever, people need to shop local. It’s something we can affect the local destiny by doing that.”
Davidoff said that he hopes that it goes beyond shopping on Small Business Saturday.
“It’s crucial to do this year round,” he said.
I asked readers on West Hartford Patch’s Facebook page what some of their local stores are to shop.
So here is a list of some of your favorite small businesses in the area. Feel free to add to the list in the comment section below. The list is not an endorsement by Patch or me.
Hardware and Homeware
Pfau’s Hardware (an overwhelming favorite)
Food
Pet Supplies
Green Dog Market in Farmington
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