DENVER — Small Business Saturday, which took place Nov. 28, provided a glimpse of hope for some local small businesses around Denver.
Jimmy Funkhouser, owner of Feral “indie outdoor shop” on Tennyson Street, said Saturday was the busiest day they had had since the shutdown in the spring.
“We knew if we had a bad Small Business Saturday, it was going to be a really long holiday season,” Funkhouser said. “So, having a good day that day at least leaves open the possibility that there might be some good things ahead.”
He said the real test for how well small businesses do this holiday season starts after the hype of Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday sales.
"I think we're all feeling the same thing, like, what happens now that the hype is gone and the event is over," Funkhouser said.
Funkhouser explained that his business, along with other small businesses that are primarily brick and mortar establishments, have a hard time competing online with larger corporations that can offer faster and lower cost shipping. So, sales are really dependent on foot-traffic.
Other small businesses around Denver had a similar experience on Small Business Saturday, like Robin Lohre, owner of Tallulah Jones in Uptown.
“We were actually a little bit up from last year,” Lohre said. “We had people waiting in line outside halfway down the block.”
Tallulah Jones made some changes this year as well to help keep up business during the pandemic. Lohre said she offers FaceTime appointments with customers, where she shows the store’s inventory, customers can pick out items over the call, then have them shipped to their house or picked up curbside.
Lohre said that she is thankful that people seem to be more conscious of how they spend their money and “shopping small is at the forefront of their minds.”
Maureen Patterson, one of the owners of Stitch Boutique, had a bit of a different experience.
She said that Small Business Saturday was a normal day turn-out wise. But, the week prior, her store held its own Black Friday sale that ended up being a success. Patterson said it was a busy day, and they put clothing racks outside to make customers feel more comfortable while shopping.
"It was a good weekend," Patterson said. "We had a lot of support, and a lot of boutiques were supporting each other which was really cool to see."
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