American Express cuts back on perk for Small Business Saturday.
When Liz McGlinchey Tan wanted to open an outdoorsy boutique in the heart of downtown Fullerton, she had one goal in mind: Open before Small Business Saturday. Over the past five years, American Express has dangled a carrot to encourage cardholders to patronize independent stores on Small Business Saturday: statement credits from $10 to $30.I’d rather give my money to the mom-and-pop shops and indie startups and bypass the big box store drama and fight-to-the-death frenzy that have become holiday shopping.Only by clearly understanding and appreciating the changing face of small business in America can we enact meaningful reforms that will help them prosper. Getting the doors open in advance of this weekend’s small business campaign meant McGlinchey Tan, her husband, Oliver Tan, and their friends from college would need to remodel a former martial arts studio into a woodsy shop complete with birch tree decals and a picnic table to display their merchandise.
Our goal is to remind our fellow citizens that by shopping small this holiday weekend, they are fueling the engine of American job creation and innovation. In October, McGlinchey Tan opened the doors to Wander Outfitters, which sells camping and hiking supplies akin to REI but with merchandise primarily made by Southern California companies. These firms have been consistently responsible for 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs in each year of the past decade, making them one of the few bright spots in a volatile period in recent economic history. It was Westside Storey’s Chris Harrington who introduced me to Jennifer Janesko’s KS/MO necklace ($75) with interlocking charms in the shape of both states.
My work as Chairman is informed by the countless conversations I have had with small business owners in my home state of Ohio and across the nation over the years. These job creators have consistently told me that burdensome regulation along with high taxes and fees represent the two biggest barriers to their success. Two examples of this reality can be found in legislation I introduced this year – H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act and H.R. 2499, the Veterans Entrepreneurship Act. Monday, while picking up some Zum & Be Merry candles at Indigo Wild in midtown, I was talking to Leslie McGuire, the company’s self-described “marketing chick.” She put me on to her favorite place to gift shop: Bijin Spa in Prairie Village. “On top of the spa services, there is a huge retail shop with cool jewelry, mittens, nail polishes and funky and cool gifts you might not see anywhere else,” she says.
In preparation for Saturday, the retailer is stocking up inventory and sending deal reminders via email and social media. “I’ve got a 90-year-old woman knitting sweaters for us,” Buriani said. “I’ve got women in their 80s who are hand-painting for us. … I talked to some of my favorite local business owners to find out their favorite local holiday buys, and they shared big ways to #ShopSmall this season: Sisters Allison Loftus and Amy Sullivan run VelvetCrate, the delivery service that curates fun gift boxes with indie finds.
They have a Holiday crate, but I’m checking out the new For Him crate ($68, shipped) featuring Sock 101, Jack Black shave lather, Dave’s coffee and Liddabit Sweets Bourbon Bacon Caramel Corn Popcorn. On average, shoppers said they planned to do 35 percent of their holiday shopping this year at small retailers. “People that don’t come in all year long come in because they want to support small businesses,” said Brenda LemMon, the owner of Johnny Jeans in Tustin.
One-size-fits-all mandates handed down from DC bureaucrats in granite office buildings are no longer compatible with the complexity and diversity of the challenges faced by today’s small businesses. The special designation to shop small is enough to pull in customers who don’t typically frequent the mom-and-pop stores near their home, said Mike Daniel, the regional director of the Orange County Small Business Development Center at Cal State Fullerton.
Visitors to the West Loop neighborhood gift store that day get to pull from a bucket of promotions, telling them whether they get 10 percent, 15 percent or 25 percent off their purchase. He has been running his independent children’s bookstore for 35 years and counting. “Eighty percent of every dollar you spend in a locally owned business stays in the community,” Glassman said. “By spending money with locally owned businesses, you keep the money in your town, your city and your neighborhood.” Christina Eldridge is all about the gifts that do good as founder of Red Dirt Shop, an accessories company that raises money to provide clean water in impoverished areas.
Christina says her favorite Kansas City small business buys are online, such as the Acts of Good Journal (actsofgood.com). “The journal was conceived, designed and self-published by KC do-gooder Adam Benton,” she says. “He lives a life of faith and gratitude, and this journal helps others do the same. So if you want to show gratitude for someone, you do an act of good for them, write down why and then give that person the journal. “Then it’s their turn to do for someone else when a time arises, and pass the journal on again. She likes to give the gift of beauty, especially at Milagro Midwestern Spa in downtown Overland Park. “They have the most unique assortment of products, from handmade lotions and stuff to really fun cards and art prints.” Her gift pick: anything from Milagro’s Maker Counter, where you can get custom-made skin care, like the beard oil Crystal gifted last Christmas. Characters we’ve seen on buildings around the city are on prints, mugs ($15) and toys now. (I’m about the Party Walrus, $30.) They often shop at the Oracle in the Crossroads, which features framed insects, interesting taxidermy and all sorts of eccentricities.
Catch Scribe, Alisa and other local artists at the MADE — Kansas City Artist Market pop-up shop Dec. 11-12 at Counter Point Event Space, 1903 Wyandotte St. (facebook.com/madeartkc) Brooks Proctor owns Square Bear streetwear with Asheley Nicole. Brooks’ favorite boutique has long been Standard Style on the Plaza and in Leawood, owned by KC’s favorite fashion couple, Emily and Matt Baldwin. “It’s classic.