After the rush of Black Friday sales and lines fade, shoppers will have another opportunity to catch some deals and events on the local front when central Maine retailers and restaurants partake in the nationwide recognition of Small Business Saturday.
“Small Business Saturday sends a really specific message,” said John Moore, owner of Narrow Gauge Cinemas in Farmington and co-owner of the Greenwood Dining Room. “People know that mom and pop stores struggle in an Internet economy. So the realization that the people who own these small businesses are community members as well is really important.”
Small Business Saturday is a nationwide event started by American Express in 2010 in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The mission of the day is to encourage shoppers to spend their money locally when many holiday shopping sales are focused around national retailers.
In Farmington, businesses will feature special hours, events and promotions to draw shoppers downtown.
The Greenwood Dining Room on Front Street will feature its first Small Business Saturday event, “Waiting for a Cause.” On Saturday morning the restaurant, which does not typically serve breakfast, will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with four public figures waiting tables. The tips they generate will be donated to Western Maine Community Action’s Operation Santa Claus, a yearly program that provides gifts to more than 1,200 children and elderly individuals in the area.
State Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton; University of Maine at Farmington President Kate Foster, Farmington Police Chief Jack Peck and Attorney General Janet Mills will don aprons and tote order pads during Saturday’s breakfast rush.
Moore said the idea for the special breakfast service came from Saviello. Additionally, 20 percent of the earnings that the Greenwood Dining Room generates during breakfast will be donated to Operation Santa Claus.
“It should be interesting to see how they do,” Moore said.
Devaney, Doak, and Garrett Booksellers, on Broadway, will also feature guest employees Saturday with local authors filling the role of bookseller, giving recommendations and chatting with readers.
Peter Pfeiffer, author of “Hard Chance: Tree Farming in Troubled Times,” will be at DDG from 10 a.m. to noon. Monica Wood, author of “When We Were the Kennedys” and “Ernie’s Ark,” will be at DDG from 2 to 4 p.m.
Wood’s and Pfeiffer’s visits are part of Indies First, a national American Booksellers’ Association event that kicks off on Small Business Saturday when independent bookstores nationwide host prominent authors to help sell books.
Several downtown stores will feature specials and sales Saturday. Minikens, a fleecewear store, will feature a 10 percent off storewide sale and a raffle. Enchanted Herbs and Botanicals is offering 15 percent off shoppers’ entire purchase. All pre-played games at 3D Games will be 20 percent off.
Narrow Gauge Cinemas on Front Street is joining the Small Business Saturday lineup for the first time this holiday season. From 9 a.m. to noon, coupon booklets offering 10 movie admissions, 10 sodas and 10 orders of popcorn will be on sale for $50.
“We moved away from early bird specials to Small Business Saturday because we like the message it sends. It transitions the attention locally,” Moore said.
In Waterville, Main Street retailers, businesses and restaurants are encouraging people to shop local with posters in the window.
At least 15 businesses plan to have extended hours and offer special deals for the holiday season starting on Saturday, the day after the city’s Parade of Lights and Sukeforth Festival of Trees on Friday, Nov. 27. Another day of special deals will be offered on Dec. 12 along with horse-drawn carriage rides through downtown that afternoon.
Garvan Donegan, who works on economic development with the Central Maine Growth Council, said that the lead-up to Christmas is a crucial time for retailers’ bottom lines and can be their busiest time of the year.
“I think actually it is the most important time for businesses,” Donegan said.
In Gardiner, shoppers will be handed “passports” to encourage them to visit more than 20 businesses in the downtown.
Participating businesses will initial the box next to their business name, and shoppers will be asked to deliver their signed passports to a table at the Gardiner Food Co-op & Cafe before 3 p.m. Saturday. Prizes will be awarded to those participating in the raffle, according to information provided by Gardiner Main Street.
From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will be on hand at a free gift-wrapping table at the food co-op.
The Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce also is urging people to buy local on Saturday with discounts offered at Stained Glass Express in Manchester and D.R. Struck Landscape Nursery in Winthrop, according to information provided by the chamber.
Shopping locally helps support businesses that provide jobs and keep money within the community, Donegan said.
An emphasis on shopping local has become more popular recently, and he suspects the trend will continue, even as Black Friday deals draw consumers with mega-deals. The power of online retail, however, could mean that in the future events like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday might not be mutually exclusive, Donegan said.
The first ever organized Small Business Saturday was held on Nov. 27, 2010. On Small Business Saturday 2014, shoppers nationwide spent an estimated $14.3 billion at small businesses according to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey.
Morning Sentinel reporter Peter McGuire and Kennebec Journal reporter Jessica Lowell contributed to this report.
Lauren Abbate — 861-9252
Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.