'Tis the season to shop local in Rockville Centre

Posted

“Shop local.” It’s a phrase uttered often by small business owners, especially around the holiday gift-buying season. Rockville Centre’s mom-and-pop shops are trying to push across that message as they put their own spin on Small Business Saturday, which will be celebrated nationwide on Nov. 24.

This year marks Rockville Centre’s third annual Snowman Hunt, which kicks off on Saturday and runs through Dec. 22. Lisa Umansky, owner of Polka Dot Pound Cake, started the hunt in 2016 with the goal of redirecting families into their downtown business district for holiday shopping.

“We’re hoping Rockville Centre families don’t give all their money to Amazon this season, because the holidays are very important for small businesses,” said Lisa Lowe, owner of Vines & Branches on North Park Avenue.

Lowe’s storefront neighbors — the 44 other shop owners who are participating in the kid-friendly snowman hunt — echoed her sentiments. “This time of year either makes or breaks a business,” said Kerry Punzi, owner of Giftologist on South Park Avenue.

Realizing how small businesses struggle to compete with big-box stores and online retailers during the holidays, American Express launched Small Business Saturday — which each year falls two days after Thanksgiving — in 2010. The national shopping holiday encourages people to “shop small” the day after Black Friday.

There are currently 28.8 million small businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. They represent 99.7 percent of all businesses with employees and are responsible for 63 percent of new jobs created over the past 20 years.

Seventy-five percent of customers planned on going to “one or more” small businesses as part of their holiday shopping, a 2017 survey by American Express and the National Federation of Independent Businesses found. The findings noted that “90 percent of consumers surveyed said Small Business Saturday has had a positive impact on their community.”

“It’s extremely important to any town to have a vibrant downtown where every storefront is occupied,” said Chris Acheson, president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce. “It is helpful for all local residents to come out and support the town.”

Rockville Centre entrepreneurs agree that the “shop local” movement has grown to benefit small businesses and raise awareness for the challenges they face.

“People don’t realize how precarious of a situation this really is to small businesses,” Punzi said. “Mom-and-pop shops are battling Amazon, big-box stores and each other,” as well as online retailers.

The snowman hunt aims to progress Rockville Centre’s own “shop small” movement by giving businesses exposure, promoting community involvement and getting into the spirit of the season. “It’s something fun for families, while reminding them to shop local,” Umansky said. “We’ve gotten great feedback that the shops get a lot of foot traffic.”

The festive activity encourages children to find at least 10 stuffed snowmen at 45 local stores for a chance to win gift certificates. Shops get a snowman hunt kit with flyers to hand out to children, stickers to stamp the flyer when a child finds a snowman and the stuffed snowman to hide in the shop.

“Even if [customers] don’t buy right then and there, they may say ‘let’s go back there,” Punzi said. “[The snowman hunt] builds a sense of community. And it’s what the season is all about — the kids. It’s bringing in kids and the smiles on their faces.”

To further encourage shopping locally, the village offers free parking on Small Business Saturday and every Saturday in December.

“There’s no denying that small businesses are essential for a healthy local economy that sustains the unique character and quality of life that exists here in Rockville Centre,” said Mayor Francis X. Murray. “We are fortunate to have a thriving downtown with a variety of shops to meet every holiday shopping list.”