Local shops celebrate Small Business Saturday

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Small Business Saturday, a day to shop at and support the locally owned small businesses in your community.

There were several small business celebrations happening across Michiana on Saturday, but one South Bend shop found a way to give back to several local causes at the same time.

“We depend on community to support us, and this community has really turned out to support us in big ways,” says Ben Futa, owner and founder of The Botany Shop.

Settled in South Bend’s Near Northwest Neighborhood, The Botany Shop brought in the plant-lovers of Michiana to celebrate Small Business Saturday.

“This is really our day to celebrate everything that makes local, independent businesses awesome,” Futa says.

Having a green thumb is not a requirement to browse at the quaint shop, shoppers found a variety of accessories, kits, and environment- friendly gifts that will still be fresh under the Christmas tree in a month.

“Even if you kill all your plants, or you say you don’t want to gift a plant, we’ve got lots of things for plant lovers or even if you just love nature in general,” explains Futa.

Not only did Saturday's shoppers support the small business, but also several community nonprofit organizations.

Volunteers from La Casa de Amistad, the LGBTQ Center, TREES, the Boys and Girls Club, and El Campito Child Development Center came in as ‘celebrity cashiers’ to help support their cause.

“Five percent of all of our sales today are going back into the community to these organizations,” says Futa.

Futa hopes the Small Business Saturday exposure will carry on in all seasons, not just for his shop, but for all of the small businesses that make up the city’s main streets.

“You vote with your dollars,” explains Futa. “So, if you want to drive and park in big parking lots, you certainly can do that, but here you’re voting with your dollars and saying that we’re folks that know your name, we know what you like.”

If you want to shop small but don’t know where to start, the South Bend Chamber of Commerce website has a business directory that lets you browse local businesses based on what you’re looking for.