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Supporting small businesses creates an impact that goes beyond the purchase

Posted at 5:51 PM, Nov 28, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-29 10:02:31-05

BRYAN, TEXAS — For 10 years here in the United States, Small Business Saturday has been celebrated.

Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday in between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and a way to support your favorite small business or to help you find a new one to champion around.

Supporting local small businesses not only helps keep people employed and make sure the bills are paid.

For some, it's keeping a dream alive.

"When you come in here, you are going to get one of the family members," Crissy Sayers, Manager of A Bird's Nest in Bryan, said.

A Bird's Nest is a store full of blended personalities, interests and likes, which make up the family business. Bryan native Crissy Sayers says owning a business in Bryan is a dream come true.

"Downtown Bryan means a lot to me. I've seen Downtown Bryan at it's worst and at it's best and I think our locals don't want to see our downtown go down. They are going to fight to protect their downtown, because they love it just as much as we do," Sayers added.

Knowing who you are shopping with and from aids with the small-town feel and charm and it makes a difference, especially when times get tough.

"We are always champions of small businesses because we know what it's like. This year, our locals have really shown us that they really want us here and they will pull through for our small businesses especially here in downtown," Sayers said.

Once a pipe-dream, now a reality. The store front on Main Street is full of treasures, gifts and antiques and has been family owned and operated since 2015.

"It was even a pipe-dream when we came in and toured the place. We were kind of wasting the realtor's time and then we sat down and thought, you know, can we really do this?" Sayers added.

Sayers says despite not having a traditional football season or a normal tourism cycle attracting visitors to Downtown Bryan, the support from the locals help make up the difference.

"If we want them to stick around, we've got to support them and that's all there is to it... Amazon is going to stick around no matter what. A lot of our local small businesses aren't going to stick around, if we don't support them," Kristi Hanle, a Bryan resident and A Bird's Nest customer said.

Supporting and strengthening local shops and small businesses all the time and not just on a national shopping holiday, creates a lasting impact that goes beyond the purchase.

"It's really showing us that our locals are the backbone of our small businesses here in downtown," Sayers said.