By Jackie Fender
It seems as soon as we wrap up the ghoulish fun of Halloween the Christmas season is upon us. With that comes sales galore and catchy names to get you out to spend your dollars. And while, you will save some green when you set down your fork on Thanksgiving, bundle up, stand in line with hordes of folks and claw your way to the next “it” item, you are also likely to lose your sanity. Some may even opt for Cyber Monday which is shopping for those who like to keep on their jammies, sip on a cup of joe, and have the presents come to them. While others, the more community minded individuals, recognize Small Business Saturday: a day to support local brick and mortar or online shops that are selling or producing merchandise or offering services right here in town!
When you shop “small” you’re directly investing your money back into the community where you live. For every $100 spent at a local establishment, $68 stays in the community. Vote with your dollars by recognizing Small Business Saturday and enjoying the following festivities:
Tacoma’s Antique Row celebrates their 3rd annual Small Business Saturday on Antique Row from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29. Participating shops on Broadway between 7th and 9th Streets are offering up killer savings. Spend $25 and save $5, spend $50 and save $10, spend $100 and you save $20! Some of the locations include Anew Thyme, Nine Lives Vintage Wears, The Little Road Said Go, and the What? Shoppe.
Skip the parking woes and hop on a bus with the Small Business Saturday Shopping Tour with Duchess of Downtown Tours. The producers of Art Bus partner with Go Local for a bus tour from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A $25 ticket price includes swag bags, refreshments and a guided tour through Downtown, 6th Ave, and Proctor District. Shops included on the tour include Crescent Moon Gifts, Gritty City Gift Fair, The Nearsighted Narwhal, Pacific Northwest Shop, Colors Gift Shop, Envy, Bleach, Do The Extraordinary, UrbanXchange, and Compass Rose. There’s a little something for everyone on your list and loads of fun to be had making new friends on the bus. Some establishments will be hosting special festivities of their own that riders will catch a glimpse of during their visit. Visit DuchessOfDowntownTours.com for full details and ticket purchase information.
Bookworms will love Indie’s First at King’s Books. Indie’s First, created by author Sherman Alexie, invites published authors to play bookseller for the day. King’s books has invited local scribes to make recommendations on some of their favorite titles and novels penned by them as well. Plus there will be live readings peppered throughout. Seven authors in total will be joining King’s Books from 1:00 pm. to 4:00 p.m. including the likes of Mark Lindquist, Erik Hanberg and William Kupinse. Visit KingsBookStore.com for full schedule details.
The 6th annual Gritty City Gift Fair is also a sight to see! Located at the old Children’s Museum space on Broadway, shoppers can expect loads of local crafters and artists gathering in one space, plus live entertainment and refreshments. An additional bonus is it’s just a hop away from the 69th annual tree lighting ceremony downtown, hosted by the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. If that doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit I don’t know what will! The lights will go on between 9th and Broadway at 5:00 p.m., and the event is free to the public.
Sixth Ave.’s Nearsighted Narwhal is a neat little shop that highlights local talents from the bookish to the artsy and everything in between. Their inventory is a cornucopia of creativity with zines, books, paintings, prints, tees and more available for purchase. They will host a plethora of festivities throughout the day including live art demos and a few local authors from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
T Town Apparel, a Tacoma local screen printing and embroidery business, has a holiday raffle that Santa’s elves would envy! For every $25 spent online or in their retail store you get a raffle ticket from November 28 to December 20 that could score you an 8-ft.’ stocking stuffed full of goodies for the boys and girls. This stocking boasts “the largest stocking in Tacoma” and holds over $300 in value. Small Business Bonus means on the 28th and 29th, if you show them a receipt from Bleach, Harmon, Valhalla, Urban Xchange, and Shake Shake Shake, The Swiss from that same day you get a bonus ticket.
Skip the crowds, mall, and department stores this year, and put your dollars back into the community by shopping local on Small Business Saturday, Saturday, Nov. 29.
