Shop small and make a big impact became the mantra throughout Missoula as people shopped locally for Small Business Saturday, an event sweeping across the nation as local businesses are celebrated by consumers.
According to Sabrina Smith, owner of The Green Light in town, Small Business Saturday is their biggest day of the year.
The shop receives about 12 times as much foot traffic as they would on a normal day.
For Smith, this is a reminder of how she’s able to support consumers and vendors through her business. She explained that her store has become a staple for Montana goods, saying, “I represent and carry over 60 local vendors and I’m really proud of that.”
In defining what sets a small business apart from big box stores and online shopping, Smith and her manager Maggie Brock emphasized the quality of customer service offered on the local level.
Not only will employees at The Green Light greet you with a smile when you walk through the door, they’re well versed in the story behind each of their products.
Manager Maggie Brock said this enhances the consumer shopping experience. She noted, “We’re really trying to support and encourage people to have conscious consumerism this year. Where is your money going? Who is it supporting?”
And if you can’t find that must-have item at The Green Light, they’ll be sure to point you in the right direction.
According to Brock, “We try really hard to know what other businesses carry so that we can recommend the other businesses, so if people can’t find what they’re looking for here, we can keep their money downtown. We can keep the profits in our small community which is so important to stimulate local economy.”
