#Shop Small First

The holiday season is upon us. It won’t be long before Christmas carols will croon from every store speaker, the streets will be decorated in dazzling arrays of silver and gold, red and green, and kids will be making extensive lists for the jolly old man in a red suit. It’s easy to get swept up in the craziness of the season, planning Black Friday excursions and buying a plethora of gifts that come with buyer’s remorse in January. What if this year could be different? Have you heard of Pink Friday? And no, I’m not talking about a pop album from 2010. What I’m talking about is a movement to put small business first by shopping small businesses the Friday before Black Friday. In 2020 a group of women put a moniker on it, calling it “Pink Friday”. This year it is November 22, 2024.

There’s no one simple way to describe a small business. The Department of State lists the qualifications, which vary depending on the industry. For example, a home furnishing merchant must have less than 100 employees to be considered a small business, whereas a printing and writing paper merchant must have less than 250 and an elevator/moving stairway company must have less than 1000. These numbers are the max amount of employees, which based on current statistics are moot because 49% of small businesses only employ 1-4 employees. 27% are family owned, however only 11% are truly mom & pop businesses owned by both husband and wife. 59% of small businesses have been operational for 6 or more years, but only 15% have been in business for 25 years or more. There are hundreds of thousands of applications for small businesses each year. Florida has the most applications by total number, but surprisingly Wyoming is one of the top five in applications per capita. Nationwide the most popular variety of start-up businesses are retailers, health and tech. No matter the small business, the pains of operation are the same: financial struggles and staffing.

Enter Pink Friday. Shop small Saturday has been popular for several years, a way of promoting small businesses on the busiest shopping weekend of the year. However, if your dollars are spent at the big box store on Friday, this hurts the small business on Saturday. This year let’s put our focus on small business first.

The vast majority of retail businesses in Fayette County are small. Whether it Twigs-N-Things or Kindred Spirt Style in Oakland, Farmer’s Hardware or Parson’s Decor in Somerville, Cypress Home & Garden or Small Town Boutique in Rossville or Sweet Creations in La Grange; we have these and many more options for gifts in Fayette County. Don’t stop at the shopping, though. While you’re out grab a Loaded Tea, a sweet treat, a cup of coffee, a herb latte, pancakes, BBQ and more from one of our many hometown cuisine establishments. Then go one step further. Ask your neighbor where they love to shop, then tell them about Pink Friday. It might be a brick-and-mortar establishment, but it could be a home-based vendor that sells their items at a marketplace like Twigs-N-Things or Sweet Creations. This is where it gets really good. After you’ve visited some of our amazing small businesses here on Pink Friday, you’ll have a list of places that you want to visit again. Now when family members come for Thanksgiving, take them to visit your favorite places on Small Business Saturday! It’s twice the win for small business! What if you are traveling over Thanksgiving weekend? Well, before you go, visit www.shopthebestboutiques.com/pinkfriday to find a map and list of over 1000 small businesses to visit wherever you are headed. Let’s make this holiday season the best one yet for the businesses that support our communities. Get out there, shop local and of course, shop Fayette first!

~Written By Karri Buck~