The Delaware Division of Small Business visited three locations in Seaford to promote Small Business Saturday.
Delaware’s Division of Small Business visited three locally owned businesses in Seaford ahead of Small Business Saturday’s ‘Shop Small’ events, Gallery 107, Beauty and Grace, and Small Town Treasures.
Division of Small Business officials say their visits spotlight small businesses in downtown areas and encourage local support of them.
Delaware on Main Street Coordinator Anastasia Jackson explains they chose Seaford and Sussex County following two years of promoting businesses in Kent and New Castle counties.
“A lot of them often say they’ve never had a visit from a state agency, so we’re happy that we were able to come in a positive manner, to be able to shine a light on them, hear about what they’re doing for the community, as well as supporting them for shop small.” she told DPM.
Jackson says visits like these are important for the state to do and hopes they can make more of them in the future.
One business, Small Town Treasures on Pennsylvania Avenue, has been in business for just over a year. Owner Breanna Bly says events that promote local shopping, like Small Business Saturday, are important for the survival of locally owned businesses.
“People don’t realize that getting on Amazon, or getting your items from Wal-Mart, things like that, it really does hurt the small businesses.” she said.
Bly adds she’s noticing a shift toward more in-person shopping, noting people often prefer to inspect and hold products before purchasing.
She says her store, which sells antique items and organic sundries, was only a month old during last year's Small Business Saturday and the event was a big help in getting her business off the ground.
The Small Business Administration estimates that last year alone, nearly $22 dollars were spent at small businesses nationwide on Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday first began in 2010 and has been sponsored by the US Small Business Administration since 2011.
