Adults and children from throughout Barren County participated in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25. Glasgow-Barren County KY Tourism gave away 100 "Swag Bags" which they gave away in 9 minutes. They said they had a line of people that wound around George Js and even had people there waiting at 8:45 a.m.
MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Small Business Saturday, a lesser known day of shopping wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, brought many people to the Glasgow Public Square in through the doors of small businesses throughout Barren County.
Small Business Saturday began in 2010 by American Express and the United States Small Business Administration as a way to raise “awareness about the impact shoppers have when they buy small year round, whether they physically visit stores or shop online,” and was officially recognized in a U.S. Senate resolution — S.R. 320 — passed in 2011. According to the SBA a small business is one with fewer than 500 employees.
According to the American Express 2023 Shop Small Impact Study, an estimated 85 percent of consumers “say they’re likely to shop small during the holiday season.” That represents an estimated $125 billion spent nationally at small businesses during the holiday season that’s up from $88 billion spent last year.
MacLean Lessenberry, executive director for the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist and Convention Commission, said Small Business Saturday is a great way to “kick-off” the season and provide good fun both for the people who walked the Square and for businesses that benefited.
“It was crazy,” Lessenberry said. “I didn’t expect that at all. Everyone was really hyped up to go shopping so that was nice.”
One shopper said it reminded them of sidewalk days with people walking from shop to shop on the Square.
The tourist commission also gave out 100 “swag bags” Saturday featuring items like gift cards, tumblers and T-shirts adorned with brightly-colored “Shop Local, Shop Small, Shop Barren.” Tina Wood, director of administrative services, said at 8:45 a.m. they already had people waiting in the vestibule and a line down the sidewalk around George Js. The tourist office opened its doors at 9:30 a.m. and, Wood and Lessenberry said, they gave away the 100 bags in just nine minutes.
In addition, they also had a social media contest where people could take a photo of themselves shopping at a small business “anywhere in Barren County” for the chance to win $1,000 in cash. At the time of reporting Lessenberry had more than 60 people to participate in the contest. The winner of the contest was Marcia L. Isenberg.
Lessenberry said, with the feedback they’ve gotten from businesses “even in the Cave City area,” they are planning on doing something similar next year. Wood said she hoped Saturday’s event exposed people to small businesses that might not have otherwise known about.
“Yes, we will,” Lessenberry said. “It was a good way to kick it off without it being too complicated with the businesses because they have so much going on that day anyways.”
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