By Mary Lynch
Shop Small Saturday is coming to Eagle Rock on Saturday, November 30. It is the ninth year in a row that Eagle Rock’s businesses have participated in Shop Small, a nationwide event the Saturday after Thanksgiving when local retailers, restaurants and service businesses offer their best deals of the season along with a big dose of holiday cheer.
In Eagle Rock, a record 80 businesses up and down the boulevards have told organizers they’re interested in participating, up from 70 last year, 56 in 2017 and just a handful of shops on Eagle Rock Boulevard in 2011, when Shop Small/Eagle Rock first launched. Shoppers will be able to identify participants by colorful Shop Small posters in store windows and eco-friendly balloons adorning the store fronts.
As for the goods and services that will be on offer, see page 9 for an advance peek at some of the deals – from gifts and clothes, to yoga and spa services, to pet treats and more.
And on Shop Small Saturday itself, be ready to combine shopping with fun, games and relaxation. There will be a Family Fun Zone, featuring arts, crafts and live music on the patio of The Green Bean, a children’s clothing boutique on Eagle Rock Boulevard near Colorado Boulevard. And there will be a Health and Fitness Zone with low-cost massages, exercise classes and body work sessions at Back Benders, the center for wellness and chiropractic at Colorado Boulevard and Dahlia Drive.
In addition, three local restaurants will promote Shop Small over three days — turning Shop Small Saturday into Shop Small Weekend.
- On Friday night, November 29, Relentless, at Colorado Boulevard and Caspar Avenue, will serve Shop Small cocktails;
- On Saturday night, November 30, Muddy Paw cafe and Haley Solar boutique will sponsor live jazz performances on the spacious back patio they share at their side-by-side locations on Eagle Rock Boulevard near Corliss Street;
- On Sunday, December 1, Found Coffee, at Colorado Boulevard and Eagle Vista Drive, will offer a Shop Small brunch.
The Bigger Picture
While deals and meals and fun zones are at the heart of Shop Small, there’s another side to the event. When you shop locally, you learn about your neighborhood. Owners and managers are on site to meet and greet customers and discuss merchandise and services. You’re likely to notice that many of the businesses in Eagle Rock are owned by women; in all, 38 of the businesses on the Shop Small roster are women-owned. Another eight businesses on the roster are husband-and-wife owned.
Another advantage to shopping small is that you support the local economy.
“As investors take over buildings and rents go up, small shops find it harder and harder to survive,” said Shop Small organizer Leanna Lin, owner of Leanna Lin’s Wonderland on Eagle Rock Boulevard. When you shop locally, your purchases enable business survival by paying employees’ wages and business owners’ rent. The money you spend also contributes to owners’ profits. Your spending is what keeps the local business environment healthy.
To stay on top of all that Shop Small will offer, visit WeHeartEagleRock on Facebook, which will be updated throughout the month of November.
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