Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season, and with Black Friday directly after, it’s the start of a final push for businesses to end the year on a high note. Small Business Saturday shines a light on the more than 33 million small businesses in the U.S. — with over 668,000 in Maryland alone.

Annapolis business owner Linda Mann has participated in Small Business Saturday at her store Shades of the Bay since the day was first observed by the U.S. government 14 years ago. Because it reminds communities to shop local and small, it’s a vital annual tradition for her and other small-business owners.

“We can’t function without the community’s help or without their support,” Mann said. “Not everyone understands how important it is to shop at a small business. Our bread and butter are our locals.”

This is the final Small Business Saturday for Mann and Shades of the Bay as she prepares to close and start her retirement at the end of the year. But after 30 years in businesses, Mann said it’s been a particularly challenging year for Maryland’s small-business owners.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Historic Ellicott City bustles with pedestrians and traffic. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

Consumers also have felt the strain on their wallets, largely blaming high prices at gas stations and grocery stores. As such, they expect to spend about $85 billion less this year, according to a QuickBooks survey. Still, the survey showed more than 240 million people plan to shop small, making this year a $76 billion opportunity for small businesses.

Last month, LendingTree ranked Maryland the top state for minority-owned businesses, but noted that less than half of the state’s minority-owned companies earned at least $500,000 in revenue. And a July report from Alignable found around 73% of small businesses nationwide reported making less this year than in the previous year.

Small businesses must compete against giants like Amazon and Walmart, which often offer cheaper prices and fast shipping. And it is an increasingly competitive market for smaller enterprises, with more than 20 million new business applications filed nationwide in the last four years.

While this tells part of the story, the other part is a shift in consumer priorities since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mann said. Shoppers want to experience something new instead of purchasing goods.

“If someone would normally come in and spend $400 for a pair of sunglasses, now they might be spending $200 to $300 instead,” she said. “For a lot of people, there’s more value in giving an experience than giving a gift of a hard good.”

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Michael Koplow has also seen this pivot from customers and said it has worked in his favor. Koplow owns and operates The Clay ground Studio & Gallery in Ellicott City. Koplow said his business, which offers fused glass, pottery and mosaic classes, is faring better now than in previous years, thanks to the rising desire for experiences.

Michael Koplow, owner of The Clayground Studio & Gallery. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
The Clayground Studio & Gallery offers classes in pottery, fused glass and mosaics. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

In the eight years the store has been open, traditions like Small Business Saturday have boosted traffic for him and other small businesses in Ellicott City’s historic district, he said.

“Instead of people sitting at home shopping on Amazon, which we all do, or going to the big box stores or the malls, if people are really devoting more time and attention, it clearly helps drive business,” he said.

Small Business Saturday often spawns partnerships. Some businesses and cities work together to support their business districts. For a fourth year, Baltimore County is working with Makers of Maryland, a business supporting makers and creatives, to host a Small Business Saturday Arts Festival at the AVENUE at White Marsh.

Charles Street Development Corporation put together “Mount Vernon Crawl” to encourage the Baltimore community to support shops in the city. Participant hotel Revival in Mount Vernon will reopen its corner store gift shop on Saturday with a “Shop Small Vendor Market.”

“This event is more than just shopping,” Jasmine Garland, director of impact at Hotel Revival, said in a statement. “It’s about creating opportunities for small businesses, celebrating the unique spirit of Baltimore and putting dollars back into the local economy.”