YORK, Pa. — Local store owners celebrated Small Business Saturday and emphasized the importance of supporting local businesses.
Small Business Saturday is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it encourages shoppers to support their local stores and restaurants.
Local store and restaurant owners say they are encouraged by the influx of people coming into their business for Small Business Saturday.
"It should be a really good night. There’s a lot of stuff going on in downtown," said Shawn Arnold, the owner of The Left Bank Restaurant and Bar.
“I’m anticipating it to pick up. It’s going to be good," said Carolyn Haskell, the owner of KIDCAROL.
Shawn Arnold, the owner of The Left Bank Restaurant and Bar says days like this highlight his relationship with customers, and reminds him of how they stepped up during the pandemic.
"Pre-pandemic, we’d see our regulars once a week, maybe once every couple of weeks, depending upon their routines, now, I’d say about 50% of our regulars, we see multiple times a week," said Arnold.
And business owners also emphasized the importance of supporting them year round.
"Just keep up with their social medias, keep up with their websites, don't hesitate to reach out," said Haskell.
"You know, small businesses in towns like this, whether it’s a retail, whether it’s a restaurant, whether it’s a small mom and pop lawyers office or anything, everyone needs business throughout the year. This is one where we highlight it, but we want to make sure that hopefully people do support us all year long, not just on Small Business Saturday," said Arnold.
"I wanna help other people, I wanna support other people, hopefully they’ll do that for me, and I've realized that this community is very supportive in that way," said Lily Haskell, with KIDCAROL.