Small Business Saturday: Shop Small At These Local Chatham Spots

CHATHAM, NJ — Now that the holiday season is nearly upon us, folks may be ready to get into the holiday spirit and go shopping for the right stocking stuffers and gifts to give during the forthcoming holidays.

Small Business Saturday, which falls between two shopping mega-holidays—Black Friday and Cyber Monday—is a great way to support the local Chatham community while getting started on your holiday shopping list.

This year, the shopping event is scheduled for Nov. 25.

Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is sandwiched between the major Black Friday retail shopping holiday that tends to favor national brands and Cyber Monday, an online shopping event that this year takes place on Nov. 27.

The following are some of the local businesses that are participating in this year's event:

• Jabberwocky Inc Toys, 261 Main St.
• Chatham Stone And Earth, 143 Main St.
• Crescent Jewelers, 251 Main St.
• Bliss Clothing And Accessories, 9 South Passaic Ave.
• Frames On Main, 257 Main St.
• L Fay Bridal Roosevelt Ave, 9 Roosevelt Ave.
• Art By Grace Hauck, 9 Buttonwood Ln.
• New Moon, 9 South Passaic
• Sourland Mountain Spirits, 54 Fairmount Ave.
• Sunnywoods Florist, 251 Main St., Ste B
• Scooch A Mi Boutique, 17 North Passaic Ave.
• Sorriso Kitchen, 252 Main St.
• Vinchem, 301 Main St.
• Gregorios, 255 Main St., Ste A
• Justpimpmyphone, 13 Lum Ave.
• Charleys Aunt Restaurant, 8 South Passaic Ave.
• Vogue Nail Salon, 4 South Passaic Ave.

Since it started in 2010, consumers have reported spending an estimated $163 billion at small businesses across all 12 Small Business Saturdays combined.

Experts agree that shopping small matters—two-thirds of every dollar spent at a local business remains in the community, according to most estimates. There's a little more to the so-called “local multiplier effect,” according to the American Independent Business Alliance.

A study from that group found that, on average, 48 percent of every purchase at a local independent business is recirculated locally, compared to less than 14 percent of purchases at chain stores.

And the majority of small business owners — 88 percent — said that their businesses need the community's support given the current economic environment, according to the 2023 American Express Shop Small Impact Study.

Locally owned businesses also recirculate a far greater percentage of revenue locally compared to absentee-owned businesses, according to the American Independent Business Alliance.

Independents return about 48 percent of their revenues back into the local economy, compared to 14 percent returned to the local economy by chains.

Small businesses are typically defined by the federal government as those with fewer than 500 employees.

They are responsible for two of every three jobs over the past 25 years. Even a partial collapse of small businesses could weaken the overall U.S. economy, according to the Labor Department.