Local shoppers show up for Small Business Saturday
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POLSON — Mission Valley residents rallied together to get some holiday shopping done while supporting local retailers and their employees on Saturday.
For the past decade, the Saturday after Thanksgiving has become officially known as Small Business Saturday. The annual event encourages shoppers to think about supporting local businesses while holiday shopping.
While Small Business Saturday is important every year, this year it’s more than just a heartwarming bit of public relations as many small businesses across the valley have been heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Saturday afternoon, one Polson Main Street business owner said she appreciates and is grateful for all the shoppers who came out in support. “I have been running nonstop since opening this morning,” said Bobbie Goldberg, owner of Second Nature Gifts and Goods. “They have really shown up for us this year.”
Many Polson businesses along Main Street saw an extra boost in customers and shopping excitement on Saturday with the added Find Frosty’s Hat Scavenger Hunt contest, which was sponsored by the Polson Chamber of Commerce and Polson Business Community.
Shoppers participated in the scavenger hunt by picking up clue cards from the chamber of commerce office or from the more than a dozen participating businesses. The first 10 successfully completed clue cards turned in at the Chamber of Commerce Office were eligible for a prize package, courtesy of the Polson Business Community and Polson Chamber of Commerce. Nine of the ten prize packages had already been awarded by noon.
“The turnout has been amazing,” said chamber member, K-Ann DeLong. “A lot of businesses have seen a better than normal turnout this year.”
Goldberg agreed, “Sales have been fabulous. I have done this for three years and this year has been by far the best.”
American Express, the sponsor of Small Business Saturday, reports that two-thirds of every dollar spent by shopping locally stays in the community benefiting the local economy by creating jobs, funding schools and maintaining roadways.