Advertisement
  • National News
  • State News
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Content
  • Subscribe
Subscribe For $2.50/month
Print Editions
Salem Times Register
  • News Categories
    • Local Stories
    • School
    • Church
    • Sports
    • State News
    • National News
    • Courthouse
      • Deeds
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Legals
  • Spiritual
    • Parabola
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
    • Southern Baptist
  • eEdition
  • Classifieds
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Login
  • faq
No Result
View All Result
Salem Times Register
No Result
View All Result
Salem Times Register
No Result
View All Result

Small Business Saturday brings enthusiasm to Salem shop owners

Mountain Media, LLC by Mountain Media, LLC
December 1, 2021
in Local Stories
0
0
SHARES
64
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Nicole Bocock and daughter Elizabeth, longtime supporters of Salon VeLuxe in downtown Salem, visited the establishment last Saturday. Photo by Shawn Nowlin.

Shawn Nowlin shawn.nowlin@ourvalley.org 

All across the Roanoke Valley, people were encouraged to participate in Small Business Saturday last weekend by shopping locally. Salem small business owners were hoping for a good turnout and many of them say that it is exactly what happened.

Many small businesses have had to modify their operations to remain profitable since the first cases of COVID were reported in 2020. Elaine Edwards has seen firsthand the kindness expressed to her businesses during the pandemic.

“I run a small catering company and around this time of the year, I get inundated with Facebook messages and emails. I never take that for granted regardless of the overall price because someone chose to spend their hard-earned money on me and not someone else,” she said. “My goal was to complete at least 25 order transactions. Because of people’s generosity, I doubled that amount.”

Carlos Cruz said he and his family visited several businesses in downtown Salem, purchasing various accessories from Grandma’s Attic, a few bobbleheads from Sports Haven and some interesting novels from Wonderous Books & More along the way.

“My parents gave my brother and I each $70 and said we could spend it however we wanted, as long as it was from a local small business. This is the first time they’ve done this, but I’m so glad they did because I got to meet a lot of people and learn about their back stories.” Veronica Cruz, 17, said. 

Small Business Saturday, which was launched in 2010, generates millions of dollars annually from people spending money at local mom-and-pop shops. According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 58 million shoppers hit their respective towns and cities last Saturday.

Many small businesses have struggled to retain and hire workers. Data from the Labor Department’s Opening and Labor Turnover Survey suggests that a record-high 4.4 million workers quit their jobs in September accounting for over three percent of the entire workforce population. 

In late 2020, Texas A&M University’s Anthony Klotz coined the term “The Great Resignation,” referring to the continuing trend of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs. Industries impacted the most from this reality include leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, health services and retail.

Clifford Walker is hopeful that when people shop during the holidays, they are mindful of just how many businesses are struggling to make ends meet. “I love Starbucks just as much as the next person but instead of visiting them multiple times a week, perhaps consider a local café or coffee shop. The same goes for restaurants, antique stores, vendors and so much more,” he said.

Mayor Renee Turk declared Nov. 27 Small Business Day with a proclamation which read in part, “the City of Salem supports our local businesses that create jobs, boost our local economy and preserve our communities.” 

For more information on downtown Salem businesses, visit www.visitsalemva.com.

 

 

Sign up to our newsletter

Enter your email address to receive weekly emails.

You will receive a confirmation email for your subscription. Please check your inbox and spam folder to complete the confirmation process.
Some fields are missing or incorrect!
Lists
Previous Post

Roanoke College men’s lacrosse team raises funds to support Ronald McDonald House

Next Post

Salem eRegister | December 9, 2021

Next Post
Salem eRegister | December 9, 2021

Salem eRegister | December 9, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • National News
  • State News
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Content
  • Subscribe
Questions? Call us at 304-647-5724

  • Login
Forgot Password?
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
body::-webkit-scrollbar { width: 7px; } body::-webkit-scrollbar-track { border-radius: 10px; background: #f0f0f0; } body::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { border-radius: 50px; background: #dfdbdb }
No Result
View All Result
  • News Categories
    • Local Stories
    • School
    • Church
    • Sports
    • State News
    • National News
    • Courthouse
      • Deeds
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Legals
  • Spiritual
    • Parabola
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
    • Southern Baptist
  • eEdition
  • Classifieds
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Login
  • faq