Small Business Saturday is November 28th! Show Phelps County Businesses Your Support

Shop Small is a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses each and every day and to help communities thrive and stay vibrant, but the Saturday after Thanksgiving is their Super Bowl: Small Business Saturday! This year’s event falls on November 28th, and Holdrege, NE is rolling out the welcome mats, both at doorways and virtually. 

Aubri Nantkes, Owner & Designer at Screen Machine said her shop is ready for the holiday season. “We will be doing lots of personalization on gifts for the holidays and we also sell undecorated apparel,” said Nantkes. “We can customize shirts or blankets for family gifts: many, many options. We have no minimum on orders. No order is too big or small. You can also go to our website to design your own shirt which will be sent straight to us to print on your choice of apparel.” 

Taylor Sics, 4th Avenue Salon owner and stylist, said she will have holiday gift sets and gift cards available for Small Business Saturday. She also appreciates all of the support the community has shown her throughout the pandemic.

“This community has been so amazing; so many clients participated in the gift card match which helped tremendously while salons were shut down,” said Sics. “Phelps County Development Corporation (PCDC) and the Foundation helped so many with that. We are very proud to be part of this community and excited to announce we are in the works of expanding and moving the salon across the street into the Johnson Building, Suite 5.”

The Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce is once again sponsoring a card stamping program where dollars spent at participating businesses between November 12th and December 19th are tallied on cards. Once the cards are filled, they can be dropped off at one of the businesses to be put in a drawing for cash prizes.

“The card stamping program is always such a hit for our area!” said Jessica Kraus, Executive Director of Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce. “It's amazing to hear our members talk about customers being more inclined to spend that little bit more to finish up a card. The Chamber office is a hopping place the days following the end of stamping. Everyone wants their chance to win the $1,000 Chamber Check grand prize! In 2019, there were approximately 7,500 cards filled out and turned in for the drawing. That's about $1.5M spent locally!” 

Kraus stressed that Small Business Saturday is important for Phelps County because it's important to remind residents that shopping small has a major impact on the community as a whole. “Our small businesses give so much to our community by driving sales tax, promoting tourism, providing creativity, and truly allowing our home to thrive,” said Kraus. “We should try our best to always support our small businesses by shopping, eating, and drinking locally to support them. Small Business Saturday is a day we dedicate to give back to them.” 

Kraus said the Chamber has also established an online gift card store where you can help small businesses without even having to leave your home. “We created the ecommerce platform after we had a community member mention to us how easy it would be if they could purchase gift cards from each business every week,” said Kraus. “We looked into it after that and asked our members if they would be interested in the service. The amount of businesses that don't have an online platform or a way to purchase a gift card other than in person was overwhelming. We went the extra mile by covering all of the credit card processing fees for our members, so they see 100 percent of the receipts for those purchases.”

Shopping small means a big difference to everyone’s quality of life. According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, last year shoppers came together to support their local communities more than ever. The 10th Annual Small Business Saturday hit a record high with an estimated $19.6 billion in reported spending. The money spent in Holdrege stays in the community, including a portion of the sales tax. These tax monies can be used to fix potholes, install street lighting, or fund park improvements.

“Our small and local businesses have been through so much this year,” said Kraus. “It's time for us to be there for them. Shop small, shop local, shop safe.”

The Phelps County Development Corporation works together with investor partners to grow a vibrant Phelps County economy. PCDC’s work includes attracting residents, recruiting new and retaining existing businesses and manufacturers, securing a quality workforce, and promoting Phelps County as a great place to live, work and conduct business. PCDC is funded through private investors supplemented by program income from LB840 (approved by voters) which directs city sales tax proceeds to economic development. Contact PCDC today!