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SALT LAKE CITY -- Wedged between the shoppers who were out for Black Friday and the ones who will go online for Cyber Monday is Smal l Business Saturday.
It's an effort to support the Mom-and-Pop shops out there that can't offer the same deals as big box stores. Their claim? That they offer better service than big box stores.
Sponsored by American Express, this is the second annual Small Business Saturday. According to the Small Business Administration, small business created 65 percent of new jobs between 1993 and 2009, which is no small feat.
So Salt Lake business owners are working today, hoping they won't be forgotten in the hunt for holiday sales.
"Sometimes we get overshadowed by the big box stores and their price-buster deals," said Sydney Weaver, who own Volt Clothing in the Fashion Place Mall. "Its just a whole different level of customer service we offer."
As a small business owner, she sinks her time, heart and every dime she can into her work.
"One of the best things about being a small business is we really get to know our customers in here," she said.
At Volt, customers are greeted on a first name basis and get free drinks while they shop -- small touches shoppers notice and come back for. And customers are taking notice of that difference.
"They probably have a hard time getting out in front of people without the resources that some of the big box retailers have. So yeah, I think it's pretty cool," said Doug Jensen, a shopper at the store.
Now into their second year of business at Fashion Place, Weaver thinks it's their unique options that attracts new customers and keeps shoppers coming back.
"It's so nice, the people that do come in and mention that they are here simply to support the small businesses of Utah," Weaver said.
Email:lprichard@ksl.com.
