Antique Row in Tacoma celebrated Small Business Saturday with a community event that coincides with the city’s tree lighting ceremony.
“Hopefully people will mingle and meet each other and see some of the shops and kind of have more of a community fun day out of it,” said Nanette Colby, owner of Broadway’s Best Antiques.
Antique row, which is located on Broadway between Seventh and Ninth streets, is right around the corner from Tacoma’s 73rd annual tree lighting at Ninth and Broadway.
Broadway’s Best Antiques rented a popcorn maker to hand out fresh, hot popcorn Saturday afternoon, and Colby said other business owners on the block planned to make fudge and hot chocolate for passersby. There was also a scavenger hunt and a gift basket raffle, which shoppers could enter in to by spending at least $10 at any of the shops on Antique Row.
Small Business Saturday, which encourages people to shop local, started back in 2010 with just a handful of cities taking part. Now 7,000 communities across the U.S. participate. The National Retail Federation reported 82 percent of consumers surveyed plan to either shop or dine small Saturday.
“Small Business Saturday is a chance hopefully for people to go and explore what’s in their community, to purchase from the mom-and-pop…kind of stores that are – they’re owned by just regular family people,” Colby said.
