EASTON, Pa. – “Easton is Main Street USA.”
That's what U.S. Small Business Association Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator John Fleming said as he, along with other SBA officials, visited Easton's Centre Square shops to support local businesses as they gear up for Small Business Saturday.
- Small Business Saturday is set for Nov. 26
- The promotion began 10 years ago as a way to boost downtown shops in the face of big-box retail dominance
- Easton's Winter Village runs each weekend now through Dec. 18
The city’s historic downtown is setting up the Winter Village, full of mom-and-pop shops and independent owners.
The aroma of fine Indian cuisine or a waft of a cereal milk-scented soy candle are among many pleasantries you may experience passing through Easton’s Centre Square this coming weekend for Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday created 10 years ago to help small businesses promote themselves.
It's a day when people are encouraged to shop local and buy goods outside of big box stores. Exhausted from fighting lines at crowded stores on Black Friday or ordering online from retailers that have warehouses around the world, people can buy from their neighbors.
And Small Business Saturday is just around the corner.
It happens every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving — Nov. 26 this year — when people begin to hunt for sales and seek gifts for the holiday season.
The day is important for sustaining local economies, said Small Business Authority Eastern Pennsylvania District Director Steve Dixel.
“When one person’s in trouble, there’s no shortage of people crawling over each other to jump in."Mike Pichetto, 3rd & Ferry Fish Market
Dixel said shopping locally is important, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, when small businesses struggled to survive.
“It’s a way for people to make an impact in their community during the holiday season,” Dixel said. “Small businesses create a lot of jobs and they bring people together.”
The Mid Atlantic Region SBA stated that last year, spending among U.S. consumers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached $19.8 billion.
Pandemic and economic impact on Easton businesses
As SBA officials toured downtown Easton, they noted the feeling of community the city held.
Mike Pichetto, owner of 3rd & Ferry Fish Market, shared how he managed to keep on staff during the pandemic and that Easton business owners made efforts to help each other out.
“When one person’s in trouble, there’s no shortage of people crawling over each other to jump in,” Pichetto said.
But there still is a pandemic, and now companies are worried about a recession and the rising cost of goods affecting everyone.
Global inflation has had an impact on Easton Outdoor Company. Adam Fairchild said his supply lines have given him no trouble, but he sees the impact of inflation on customers' disposable income.
“But we’ll be OK,” Fairchild said. “We’re growing because I've grown my inventory and I’ve grown the size of my store. Even in a downturn, we’re seeing growth, but it’s not enough growth to make this pay off currently.
"My hope and my feeling is that yes it will because everything is cyclical.”
Fairchild also said he has sustained longtime staff throughout the pandemic. He said his hope lies in that he’s created something valuable to people in the community not just of Easton, but the Lehigh Valley.
He said he started his business during a recession 11 years ago, so he’s seen the economic cycles.
Baljeet Bansal, owner of Aman’s Artisan Indian Cuisine, opened his restaurant six months before the pandemic. Bansal said the Paycheck Protection Program loans helped his company stay afloat.
He said he had to cancel more than 150 reservations, but the loans let him eventually provide outdoor dining and advertising and keep his staff as when they had to shut down for COVID-19 safety.
And Bansal said the restaurant shifted at one point and became a food pantry during the pandemic as it wanted to help people who needed access to food. It also pivoted to online orders to keep the business going.
Bansal expressed concern over the “r” word — recession. The increase in prices of goods poses consideration of what the future will hold, he said.
Rachel Zanders, the owner of Easton Candle Co., also opened a brick-and-mortar shop during the pandemic. Zanders has been a part of Winter Village all three years and said that Small Business Saturday is her busiest time of year.
“It’s giving that customer one extra reason to shop local,” Zanders said. “I’m trying to be more visible on social media just to show that, ‘It’s me. I’m a person. I’m making everything by hand. I’m shipping your packages by myself.'”
Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. pointed out that when people shop in Easton, the money stays local.
“We don't have chains," Panto said. "It's all mom-and-pop shops.”
