Local businesses gear up for Small Business Saturday

(ALBANY, GA) – With Thanksgiving over, many local business owners are looking forward to this weekend, and Small Business Saturday.

For an owner like Troychelle Gaines, she’s hoping for a large turnout in Downtown Albany.

She tells us, “Things have really slowed down a lot. They’ve slowed down, and customers haven’t come back like they were. But i do have faith and hope and pray that even with COVID going on we will get some relief and the numbers will go down, to help businesses come back.”

Small Business Saturday is going on as planned for business owners in Downtown Albany.

For some owners, this will be their first Small Business Saturday after opening in a year impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“It’s going to help people get to know who we are. A lot of people don’t know that some of us are here. So when Black Friday gets here, it get’s them to say ‘hey, they’re here’ and then tomorrow they’re gonna come downtown…,” says Three Little Birds Boutique Manager, Zandria Thomas.

To plenty of local business owners, this weekend is a golden opportunity to let their neighbors know about their business, and their fellow owners downtown.

Owner of African Attire Store & More, Karen Jones says, “To have Small Business Saturday for everyone, it’s giving people an advertisement for us. We’re giving people who haven’t shopped small, who can shop with the small businesses to keep everything open and moving.”