A jazzy version of the “Little Drummer Boy” played as Chris and Katie Mitchell browsed among the holiday knickknacks at the Mackenzie’s store in the village.
It may have been the second annual Small Business Saturday, a day designed to encourage folks to remember the mom-and-pop store owners in the village of Palmyra and other small towns and villages who may not have the dollars to compete with the bigger retailers when it comes to holiday advertising.
But for the Mitchells, shopping at smaller stores has always been a part of their holiday plans.
“We’re looking for the things you don’t see on TV, the things you only find in the little stores,” said Katie Mitchell, of Palmyra.
Small Business Saturday is the latest initiative designed to keep shoppers in the giving mood, without the “get in the stores and get out of the way” experience of Black Friday and a warmup for the online shopping encouraged by Cyber Monday tomorrow.
“We do the Black Friday craziness,” Chris Mitchell said. “This is fun, and it’s more relaxed.”
Mary Darcangelo, owner of Mackenzie’s, is one of the store owners on the village’s Main Street hoping to benefit on this day, which for her is the day before “Super Sunday,” the day after “Festive Friday” and a few days after “Wildly Wonderful Wacky Wednesday.”
“I think the word has gotten out about it this year. I hear more people talking about it,” Darcangelo said. “It’s a wonderful reminder that we’re here, too, the little guys who can’t compete with the large box stores.”
Marcia Masille, owner of the Village Bookstore in Palmyra, is hopeful the idea takes off. Her pitch to shoppers was to offer what she did on Black Friday.
“Just quiet, gentle shopping, away from the crowds and the madness,” Masille said. “I never got into that Black Friday thing. It’s just insane.”
Spending money with local merchants helps the community, said Ethel Lawler, who is in town from New Jersey visiting family. She and her niece, Sarah Daskiewich, were antiquing in Palmyra and avoiding the malls so they didn’t have to spend their money on “junk” as gifts for family, she said.
“When we’re looking for Christmas gifts, we want something different,” Lawler said. “You do find that at the local stores. To me, it says you took more time to look for something special.”
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| Mackenzie's store owner Mary Darcangelo puts the finishing touches on a holiday display, just in time for Small Business Saturday |
