BRIDGEPORT — For shop owner Leanne Scanlon, Small Business Saturday has turned from a credit card company's sales-goosing slogan into a legitimate economic force.
"Last year it was our best day of sales ever. It was also the best day for Bark N Bites. It really helped everyone. Augustine's was impressed. Jackalope was slammed. I think people are actually paying attention," said Scanlon, co-owner of Hardscrabble Gifts, 3333 S. Halsted St.
The event takes place Nov. 29 — the day after the big-box Black Friday bonanza — and includes participation from roughly 30 neighborhood businesses, each hosting its own activities or providing other incentives to get the cash registers ringing.
Hardscrabble, for example, is bringing in a photo booth, serving hot cider, coffee, cheese and snacks and hosting artist Laurie Freivogel of Kiku Handmade, a collection of functional, fused glass artwork as part of a partnership with online craft marketplace Etsy.
"[All of the businesses] are supposed to do some kind of promotion, whether it be having coffee there or some kind of deals and specials. But it's really just about rewarding people for shopping local and making Bridgeport part of such an important movement," Scanlon said.
For more information on participating businesses, see Hardscrabble's Facebook page.
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