Economy
How Small Businesses Hustle to Attract Holiday Shoppers
Shops use sleigh rides and treats to entice customers on Small Business Saturday.
Five minutes before closing on the night before Thanksgiving, David Zawicki is wiping down the glass counter at Lark & Co. General Store, a home goods shop in Birmingham, Michigan. Earrings, rings, and all sorts of baubles sparkle underneath. Zawicki has just finished topping a tabletop evergreen with gobs of white snow. “It doesn’t look a stitch like Christmas,” he said. “Not yet.”
The staff has the day off on Thursday, but the store will be open early and late on Saturday to capitalize on the town’s Small Business Saturday promotions. There’s a “Shop Small” banner flapping from the nearby parking deck.