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SALT LAKE CITY — Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday lies the Shop Small Saturday — an opportunity to give local businesses the spotlight they deserve.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said 92% of Salt Lake businesses are small, which she classified as having 50 employees or less.
"This is the bread and butter of who we are as a community, and it's what our economy runs on," she said Saturday.
Mendenhall was at one small business in Sugar House, a size-inclusive boutique called A' La Mode, to read her declaration for Small Business Saturday 2023.
Jasmine Gordon, co-owner of A' La Mode with her sister Angelique Gordon, said, "When we first started online, a lot of clients were across the country, and not that we didn't love them — we absolutely did. But we also wanted to be a part of Salt Lake City and give to the people that we were (grocery shopping) with ... just kind of making community what it is."
Mendenhall's declaration said 68 cents for every dollar spent at a small business stays in the local community, emphasizing the difference shopping small can make in one's own neighborhood.
Angelique Gordon said the sisters' big help has come through the Women's Business Center and Salt Lake City's Downtown Alliance.
"We're so lucky that Salt Lake in general is a place that owning your own business is something that's very achievable. The community is so supportive, small businesses are very much supported. People love local things," Angelique Gordon said.
It's officially #SmallBusinessSaturday!
— Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) November 25, 2023
Salt Lakers, today is ✨ the✨ day to SHOP SMALL in #SLC and support the 9,000+ small businesses in our City that drive our economy with their hopes and dreams and the goods and services you need.@slcecondev@SLCgovpic.twitter.com/6jceqxbhBH
Emily Stevens is another Utah-local small business owner, starting Wildflower Felt with her mom earlier this year. The two make custom felt lettering orders, operating online rather than a brick-and-mortar store.
"A lot of people will just go to Amazon for what they need, so I think it's good to (bring) awareness back to small businesses. I think there's so many cool things that people do by hand or however else they run their small businesses that you just can't really get from Amazon," Stevens said.
Stevens also said the profits that go toward small businesses impact the owners more than profits for large companies, which makes the small business more meaningful to owners and customers alike.
While areas like Sugar House have recently dealt with a lot of construction, Mendenhall pointed out how many small business areas have the shops so close together that consumers can park in one spot and shop in different stores for hours.
A map of Sugarn House's small business district can be found at shopsugarhouse.org.
The U.S. Small Business Administration said Small Business Saturday started in 2010. For a list of small businesses in your area, check out its website.
