How Businesses in Carlsbad, NM Can Encourage Residents to “Shop Small” this Holiday Season

How Businesses in Carlsbad, NM Can Encourage Residents to “Shop Small” this Holiday Season Main Photo

13 Nov 2020


News

Shop Small is a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses each and every day and to help communities thrive and stay vibrant, but the Saturday after Thanksgiving is their Super Bowl: Small Business Saturday! This year’s event falls on November 28th, and Carlsbad, NM is rolling out the welcome mats, both at storefronts and virtually.

Carlsbad MainStreet knows exactly how important supporting local businesses is because their mission is “to strengthen the MainStreet District as the center of our community through concentrated efforts in organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring.”

"Our homegrown businesses need our community's help now more than ever,” said Ashly Key, Carlsbad MainStreet Project Executive Director. “It has been a tough year for everyone, but especially for our local entrepreneurs. The money that is spent in local businesses means more than just a dollar. This money is what provides for their families. Downtown merchants are the heart of our community. Without them, our community could lose the sense of small-town charm."

Key pointed out that Small Business Saturday “is also a New Mexico Gross Tax Receipts Holiday on sales of qualifying items at certain small businesses.” This means from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, November 28, 2020 until midnight, qualifying items such as clothing, accessories, sporting goods, tools, books, art, cosmetics, musical instruments, cookware, bedding, furniture, toys, games and electronics can in effect be sold “tax free.” Check here to see if your business qualifies for the tax receipt holiday and for more specific information on how to claim the deduction on your return.

Currently Key is aware of The Pecos River Antique Mall having a holiday shopping sale with each booth having a different sale range from 10 to 50 percent off. 

Any business can decide to participate in Small Business Saturday. Marketing materials and tips can be found on this Small Business Resource Center or from American Express.

American Express created Small Business Saturday in the midst of the recession in 2010 on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses. That first Small Business Saturday was such a success that in 2011, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the day, and officials in all 50 states participated. 

Shopping small means a big difference to everyone’s quality of life. According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, last year shoppers came together to support their local communities more than ever. The 10th Annual Small Business Saturday hit a record high with an estimated $19.6 billion in reported spending.

To keep up-to-date with Carlsbad MainStreet, follow them on Facebook.

If you are looking to expand or start your company in a community where the resources and support are there for businesses to thrive, check out all that Carlsbad Department of Development has to offer. Businesses moving to Carlsbad benefit from incentive, assistance, and reimbursement programs that make it easier to start, relocate or expand here: read the synopsis here

Follow Carlsbad Department of Development on Facebook.