Small Business Saturday A Hit With Local Owners
ROSLINDALE (CBS) - The smells of cheese and chocolate filled the air at the Boston Cheese Cellar Saturday.
John and Kathy Lacher stood behind the counter and laughed at the concept for their store.
"We sell everything we like," said the couple.
The Lachers also live in Roslindale and have a deep connection with their community. They talk about how they provide local jobs and feature art on the wall from neighborhood middle schools.
However, their advertising budget is small and relying on word of mouth can be challenging – which is why their excited about the success of a national promotion.
It's called "Small Business Saturday," a movement started by American Express to help local shops after Black Friday. The credit card company offered its customers a $25 credit for those who bought something from local shops.
Several businesses in Needham tacked on the "Small Business Saturday" logo to their storefronts and hoped for the best.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports.
"Friday has been the day for the big box stores and there hasn't been any focus on the small business per se," said Nancy Wright, owner of Perennial Designs in Needham.
Nancy Lane and her daughter Mary browsed her shop with several bags from local shops. The Lanes heard about the promotion and made it their priority to hit neighborhood stores.
"You see some things that are more unique than the big chain stores," said Nancy.
In Roslindale, raffle prizes included gift certificates for shopping sprees in Roslindale Village in an effort to increase incentive for local spending.
American Express representatives said no numbers were available yet on how the promotion directly impacted local business, but mentioned more than one million people "liked" their Facebook page.
