A celebration of the small and profitable in Bristol

Story by Kristen Ray Photos by Richard W. Dionne Jr.
Posted 11/20/18

As small businesses across the country prepare for the holiday shopping frenzy this upcoming weekend, a number of local shops and restaurants in Bristol kicked off the ninth annual Small Business …

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A celebration of the small and profitable in Bristol

Posted

As small businesses across the country prepare for the holiday shopping frenzy this upcoming weekend, a number of local shops and restaurants in Bristol kicked off the ninth annual Small Business Saturday festivities a few days early as part of a celebratory walking tour hosted by the Small Business Administration on Monday.

Led by SBA’s District Director Mark Hayward and Regional Administrator Wendell Davis, members of the SBA, the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the East Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Bristol Merchants Association gathered at Judge Roy Bean Saloon Monday afternoon before traveling shop-to-shop as they supported nine downtown staples — Harbor Bath & Body, Empire Tea & Coffee, New Leaf Hair Studio, The Sand Dollar, Paper Packaging & Panache, Bristol Bagel Works, Gorman Clocks, Caron Jewelers and Bristol House of Pizza — during what can often be one of their most critical business times of the year.

“For a lot of businesses, whether they’re going to survive is dependent on what happens during the holidays,” said Congressman David Cicilline.

With 98.7 percent of Rhode Island businesses classified as small businesses, the introduction of Small Business Saturday in 2010 has helped many local shops and restaurants stand out against the promotions of big-name brands during Black Friday and Cyber Monday over the course of the same weekend. The annual event has to date brought in roughly $85 billion across the country; with and estimate that 69 cents of every dollar gets channeled back into the local economy.

“When we spend money in a Rhode Island business, that money bounces around Rhode Island and does a lot of good. When you spend money in a big box, it’s very likely that dollar bounces once in their cash register and is gone from Rhode Island,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.

Those big-chain entities, Congressman Jim Langevin stated, not only take money away from the community, but also strip them of their unique, individualistic character. “Box stores don’t give you that charm, that real special feel we appreciate in Rhode Island,” he said.

That “special feel” was pertinent as participants made their way through Bristol’s idyllic downtown shopping district and saw for themselves what each store had to uniquely offer. Situated along the waterfront, Harbor Bath & Body’s owner Lynn Shaw has been selling her eclectic mix of soaps, lotions, body washes and lip balms alongside other locally made products like honey and candles for 11 years.

At The Sand Dollar, housed just off of the famed Fourth of July Parade route, owner and South Carolina native Tammy Vincent curates a home goods and gifts collection that combines her own creations, such as her wreathes and starfish trees, with the works of other local East Bay makers. About to celebrate her fourth year in business, Ms. Vincent agrees that events such as Small Business Saturday have helped put her store on people’s radar.

“It brings attention to the little people,” she said.

This year’s Small Business Saturday will take place this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Participating businesses will be marked by balloons and will be offering special deals throughout the day. Around 108 million people supported local shops and restaurants during last year’s Small Business Saturday.

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