Local businesses preparing for Small Business Saturday

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Small businesses all over Alaska are preparing for Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27 the Saturday following the shopping frenzy on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday. The local shopping promotion has grown in popularity over recent years, and local businesses are providing a variety of ways for shoppers to save by buying gifts locally.

In Anchorage, not only will 35 local business be participating in Small Business Saturday events in their own stores, but three separate pop-up events are scheduled across Anchorage. Anchorage Downtown Partnership Executive Director Amanda Moser said that the partnership has helped organize small small businesses for over a decade.

“The joy that you get when you support like a local business and local artists is that we’re all connected here in Alaska,” Moser said. “When you shop local, 40 to 60 cents on every dollar you spend stays in the community. It supports your friends and neighbors and it continues to recirculate, so supporting small businesses is really the best way to support your community.”

The partnership teams up with American Express to support local downtown businesses in Anchorage and shoppers making purchases at any of the participating businesses have a chance to win round trip Alaska Airline tickets by making purchases before Dec. 11. In addition to the 35 businesses participating at their own location, Moser said that over 50 businesses in total are participating by including those that will be at the three pop-up events. Outdoor events are scheduled at 49th State Brewing Company and Sara’s Gift Cache, as well as an indoor event at Williwaw.

“I always love a good coffee mug. I feel like your coffee mug should also be an art piece and downtown there is a handful of great places to buy a really good coffee mug, which is such a perfect present to get because it’s Alaska and we all consume so much coffee,” Moser said.

In Palmer, 23 local businesses have special deals that are offered to shoppers for Small Business Saturday. However, 45 different businesses are participating in a the Shop Palmer promotion that lasts from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20.

“I’ve heard from multiple business owners over the years it can make or break a businesses year or their existence. It’s a lot of times, like that’s where Black Friday came in right, it started because that was the day that they sold enough to be in the black. So it’s the same for Small Business Saturday, like that day makes or breaks people and especially with the pandemic the last couple of years,” Vann said. “People are turning to local shopping more than they have before, but it’s always something that we need to keep in mind like they need our help all the time and there’s no reason to not look for things locally because our shops have such a variety of offerings.”

Executive Director of the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce Ailis Vann said that bingles were introduced last year as a Palmer-only currency and that $30,000 in bingles were circulated. As part of the month-long Shop Palmer event promoting local businesses, shoppers spending $100 or more will be entered in a drawing to win one of three $500 prizes of bingles or the grand prize of $1,000 in bingles, which Vann says make for an excellent holiday gift.

The Wasilla Chamber of Commerce opted for a game of local shopping bingo to promote 48 participating businesses throughout the month of November.