Kalamazoo, Mich. – Saturday is one of the busiest days of the year for small businesses.
Small Businesses Saturday 26 November was a big day for businesses at the Kalamazoo Mall, said Adrianne Merkling. She is the owner of Adrianne’s Boutique at 245 S. Kalamazoo Mall.
“It’s one of those days where the local community comes together to stand up and consciously support small businesses, especially locally,” Merklin said. “It’s a great day for community support, and it’s a fun day.”
This year has been tough for some business owners, with small businesses likely to sell more on Saturday than stores sell in a month, Merklin said.
“It would be disastrous for business if we didn’t have that small business on Saturday,” Merklin said.
This year, for the second year, Consumers Energy is giving away Downtown Dollar gift certificates during Small Business Saturday. Employees will be handing out free certificates worth $10 at 157 S. Kalamazoo Mall on November 11th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. 26.
In total, 360 certificates worth $3,600 will be issued, said media relations manager Brian Wheeler.
“The Kalamazoo small businesses have served us for the past many years, and on Saturday, we wanted to encourage the community to serve these small businesses,” said Lauren Snyder, vice president of customer experience for Consumers Energy. “Through the Downtown Dollars program, we want shoppers to support the small businesses we know and love and are the backbone of our communities.”
Downtown Dollars can be spent at more than 50 businesses in Kalamazoo.
The atmosphere downtown that day was always fun, Merklin said. Kids and adults can enjoy alcoholic beverages in the downtown social area, and there’s plenty of fun to do here.
“There are a lot of gifts,” Merklin said. “There’s a lot of interesting, locally made items that you won’t find in the big box stores downtown.”
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