Holiday shopping season is make-or-break for many small retailers
SAN FRANCISCO -- Saturday may have seemed like just another day for the farmer's market at San Francisco's Ferry Building but, to Janeen and Rodrigo Cruz, this particular Saturday will help set the tone for the next several months for their salsa company, Kuali.
"The holiday season is literally equivalent to about a year of business for us," Janeen said.
They were set up at the Ferry Building on Small Business Saturday selling their salsa -- which is Rodrigo's mother's recipe -- hoping to see regular and new faces.
"The first eight months of the year were a little slow so we're looking to make up for that in the last part of the year," Janeen said.
Heidi Pickman is the vice president of engagement and external relations at CAMEO, a micro-business network, and is a major advocate for small businesses.
"Small businesses are really the backbone of our economy," she said. "They give back to their communities. They make more sense economically. There are more taxes going into the local government coffers, more local jobs."
She says the holiday shopping season can often be a make-or-break time for small business owners.
"This is when people are buying at their best, right?" she said. "It gets the momentum going. If they don't have a good holiday season then they, most likely, are not going to have a great year."
People like Rasmus (no last name given) were at the Ferry Building for some holiday shopping on Saturday. He said he prefers to buy locally than from big-box retailers.
"I think it's nice to see the local owners and buy from the people making the products themselves and to support local businesses," he said.
That mindset, says Janeen, doesn't go unnoticed. Speaking for small-business owners across the Bay Area, she says every sale truly matters and they really appreciate every customer.
"A lot of us are just trying to make the best of this year so if you can support us directly -- either buying online, buying from us directly at a farmer's market or at a store -- it's really appreciated and it really goes a long way."