Passport sends shoppers on trip through local businesses

Cupcakes are on display at Julie's Deli, one of the local businesses participating in the Small Business Saturday event.
(Submitted photo)
Cupcakes are on display at Julie's Deli, one of the local businesses participating in the Small Business Saturday event. (Submitted photo)

Small Business Saturday is coming, and this time, it is a trip. A shopping journey for participating shoppers and businesses, complete with passports.

Each participating business gives a shopper a punch on the passport. For those who complete the journey, they are entered into a drawing for prizes offered by participating businesses.

"The passports are to encourage community members to get around locally and shop small," said Natalie Haywood, director of events and communications for Chamber of Commerce-Texarkana, USA. "All participants are entered into a drawing at the end for prizes."

The event kicked off Nov. 22 and as shoppers have gone out into the community to get stamps on their passports, Haywood has begun sizing up how the event is going.

"So far, going really well," she said. "Between now and Dec. 6, we will get the full picture. Dec. 6 is the turn-in date, 5 p.m. that day. The drawing will take place some time in the following week."

Small Business Saturday is observed the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Shopping small is the theme of the event, but it is not just a slogan for a campaign.

"For every dollar spent locally, 67 cents stays in the community," Haywood said.

Julie's Deli is one of the local businesses participating Small Business Saturday.

Office manager Susan Eager said they've been seeing active local business. Thankgiving is a week in which they see business pick up, and Thanksgiving 2019 has been no exception.

"We've been cooking like crazy to keep up with things. Two hundred people have picked up orders this week. We are grateful for our customers who bring us their business. We love local and we thank our customers," she said.

The big, hot item at Julie's Deli this week was white chocolate strawberry cake.

Shoppers are also showing up at Brewsters on the Boulevard, the new coffee place across from City Church. Manager Chuck Taramona has seen people coming in to get passports signed.

"We've got just two of them to give away ourselves," she said. "I thought things would be kind of quiet here the day before Thanksgiving, but nope, they've been coming in a lot."

Taramona is a fan of Small Business Saturday and small business in general.

"It is good to get the word out about small businesses. It is good to let people know that we are here. We don't have the publicity budgets that big chains have, so this is one way to let people know what we are about."

Brewsters on the Boulevard is relatively new, but it is already building a loyal following.

"We've got a nice pool of regulars coming in here," she said.

Brewsters on the Boulevard will be open on Black Friday.

The other organizations/businesses involved in Small Business Saturday include Main Street Texarkana, Hopkins Icehouse, Graham Slam Bakery, Shorty's, Ace Hardware, Ledwell, Woosah, and Pecan Point Gastropub and Brewery.

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