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East Bay shoppers support local stores on Small Business Saturday

Oakland merchants hope Small Business Saturday will help capture holiday spirit
Oakland merchants hope Small Business Saturday will help capture holiday spirit 04:06

Surrounded by hundreds of new books, customers inside East Bay Booksellers browsed, flipped through pages, and read their newly discovered books.

The store owner, Brad Johnson, believed that kind of simple physical interaction helps to open up the human senses that online shopping simply cannot.

"There's a defiant counter-cultural streak in people who are regulars at bookstores," said Johnson. "We do need to sort of continue to stake our flag where we're at and continue to be the counter-cultural force."

The beloved East Bay Booksellers burned down in July. Loyal customers donated almost a quarter of a million dollars so he could reopen the bookstore on Saturday, a few blocks north of the original College Avenue spot.

"Small Business Saturday, I thought that would be an appropriate time for opening. I thought it would be a little bit harder opening in terms of just the amount of books we have. But it turned into a little bit more soft," said Johnson, as they waited for more books to be put on shelves.

It was a busy first day for the store located at 6022 College Ave. in the Rockridge Neighborhood, filled with shoppers and loyal customers.

"I supported them throughout the pandemic. After the fire, I supported them on the GoFundMe. So I came today to celebrate its re-opening," said Tracy Thompson, who purchased nine books. 

Some shoppers said they want to be intentional with where they spend their money, especially on Small Business Saturday, focusing on neighborhood shops like Oakland's Open Mind Music, a vinyl records store.

"Coming out of COVID, it's been really a challenge for a lot of small businesses. And something like Small Business Saturday really gives people an opportunity to band together and not just send Jeff Bezos out into space, but to find a place for small businesses like Open Mind Music," said store owner Henry Wimmer.

Wimmer said not only will the dollars spent locally stay in the community, but smaller stores focus more on customer satisfaction and experience.

"It's a constant state of discovery.  And people really love coming through these aisles and finding something new, finding something special," said Wimmer.

Some stores on Saturday offered discounts of up to 50% to entice bargain hunters.

Mary Ann Norman, owner of Love Again Fabrics, Handmade Closet, said a strong December will help them weather the slower months of January and February.

"We have classes. And so for those who want to learn to sew, or knit, or crochet, we have teachers that come in and help with that," said Norman.

While smaller shops admitted it may be hard to compete against the big box stores and online retailers, they make it up with an unbeatable shopping experience.

"We hope people are as excited about the re-opening as they were devastated by the loss," said Johnson. 

Business owners reminded customers they need support not just on Small Business Saturday, but year-round to thrive.

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