Metro Detroit’s entrepreneurs are gearing up for another Small Business Saturday full of events, sales and openings.

Detroit Denim and K. Walker Collective are opening their doors in Midtown on Saturday morning and there are several market pop-ups happening across the area. So there are plenty of opportunities to support small businesses during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

The business holiday, which takes place the day after Black Friday, is a small shop campaign that was started by American Express in 2010.

Carrie Vestrand, retail strategist at TechTown Detroit, said at this point of small business recovery after entrepreneurs went through the pandemic, “There’s almost nothing you can throw at a small business owner or a microbusiness owner that they can’t handle.”

“All the pivoting that they've been required to do will pay off,” Vestrand said. “They've learned other ways of doing business through the last few years of the COVID shutdown. This was super hard on them in the very beginning of COVID, and continues to be challenging, but they're so resilient, and they've learned in order to stay in business, ‘I need to pivot and I need to learn how to service my customers in multiple ways.’ ”

Here are some of the happenings in metro Detroit:

Detroit’s businesses

At the newly opened Convent Detroit, a space focused on wellness and health, one of its tenants, Wellness with Wendy, is running a promotion with massages and facials at a discounted rate of $49. Each session at the space, located at 13301 Mound Road, in Detroit, is 50 minutes.

“I think coming to get a massage or getting a relaxing facial is just a way to kind of show love to yourself,” said Wendy Harmon, owner of Wellness with Wendy. She has been a massage therapist for 17 years. “Renew and refresh in the hustle and bustle and the busyness of life.”

A news release about the location states that the Convent Detroit has 20 offices and studios, including an Airbnb.

Tauntus Cosmetics Beauty Bar, located at 18979 Livernois Ave., is hosting a variety of doorbuster sales starting at 11 a.m. The Avenue of Fashion business plans to host a sale every hour, which will include the opportunity to get a dollar amount or percentage off of sequin totes, hand fans, vegan bags, lapel pins, cigar accessories, bracelets and wreaths.

The store is also hosting sales all day on face masks, makeup and clothing.

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In Midtown, Detroit Denim chose to host its grand opening on the business holiday for its new storefront, which is located at 4240 Cass Ave. The business closed its original location during the pandemic, and after receiving a Motor City Match grant, it was able to open a new space to provide an experience where its customers get to purchase custom jeans. The jeans typically cost between $275 and $350.

“Small Business Saturday is always such a joyous day for us,” said Brenna Lane, co-owner of Detroit Denim. “It's not easy to be a small business, and to have a day to celebrate and have your customers come support you, and your friends and family. And then to also have that be the opening day for our store — I just thought what a better conglomeration of all of the joy.”

K. Walker Collective is also opening its Midtown storefront Saturday, which is located at 4161 Cass Ave. in Detroit. The grand opening will start at 10 a.m.

Holiday markets

Many holiday markets will be taking place across the area.

There are 18 businesses located at Bedrock’s Downtown Detroit Markets in Cadillac Square, which will be present through the holiday season.

“Small Business Saturday is going to be a huge influx of business for them,” said Carrie Vestrand, retail strategist at TechTown Detroit. “So they're all trying to work out — ‘how do we handle this much foot traffic that we normally don't see any other day of the year?’  So it's an exciting time for them. It's an opportunity for them to get you know, direct customer feedback on what they sell, or what they make or what their services are.”

Vestrand said there will also be a market happening inside of TechTown,

TechTown and The Platform also opened a pop-up space in the Fisher Building across from the theater’s box office. CommodiTeas will be open in the pop-up space on Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and it will also be open during "Hamilton" showings.

The East Warren Development Corporation is starting its Saturday holiday markets, which will last from Nov. 26 to Dec. 17. The market takes place at the Cadieux Stage, which is located at 4925 Cadieux Road. There will be over 30 vendors, hot cocoa, cider and food trucks.

The Livernois Holiday Weekend Festival will take place Saturday starting at 11 a.m. between Eight Mile Road and Clarita Street. This event is hosted by the Motor City Business Roundtable and the Independent Business Association. According to a Facebook post, visitors can have the opportunity to get on a horse and carriage ride, enjoy cider and doughnuts, listen to some holiday caroling and watch the community tree lighting. There are also over 30 stores expected to offer discounts.

Online opportunities

Let’s not forget about metro Detroit’s small businesses that sell products on vendor websites like Etsy. Ebony Bagley, the owner of the Ebony Heritage Collection, has a storefront on Etsy, where she sells educational designs that have a focus on Black culture. Many of her items are related to Kwanzaa, Juneteenth and historical Black figures. Bagley sells these products in the form of wall tapestries, wall art, books and blankets.

Bagley said although she also has a website, Etsy has been the foundation in the growth of her business. She has shipped to all 50 states, and even to Africa. Her Small Business Saturday sale includes 30% to 40% off of everything on the website.

“I know a lot of small business owners across the metro Detroit area who are listed on Etsy,” Bagley said. “They might have storefronts even, but they're also selling on Etsy because through their algorithm and the way they do their marketing, we're able to reach a larger clientele than just our local area.”

Dearborn, Royal Oak, Oakland County

The Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority is hosting a few programs to encourage customers to come out on the business holiday and through the rest of winter.

It is hosting a program where customers can visit an orange tent on Fifth Avenue and pick up a passport. Customers can then spend $25 or more at four different retailers, and the passport can be submitted for a chance to win a $2,500 gift card to use downtown.

There will also be free parking at any city-owned garage on Saturday, and it will continue through the month of December, where parking will be free every Thursday through Saturday. Sundays are always free.

“While yes, we are in a day and age where you can get anything at the hands or your fingers online, but that’s not what makes up a community,” said Daniel Hill, downtown manager at the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority. “What makes up a community is our small businesses.”

A shop called Sidetrack Bookshop is planning to participate in the passport program and will also give out limited edition holiday ornaments when customers make a purchase of $50 or more. The independent bookstore sells books for all ages ranging from fiction to nonfiction.

“I think what the programs that they do really encourage people to stop in and check us out as a new business,” said Jenny Carney, owner of Sidetrack Bookshop. “They drive sales. They drive foot traffic to us. So we are happy to participate.”

Carney said that small business owners in the community are excited to have gatherings in the community, and said it has been something that has been missing over the last three years. She said everyone has realized how important these gatherings can be.

“One way of showing that support is coming out on Small Business Saturday, or over the weekend and doing your shopping locally,” said Carney. “You're putting money back into your own community, instead of sending it off to somewhere else that’s not in your own community.”

Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn is expecting to host an Instagram competition for shoppers Saturday. If shoppers like a post about the competition and tag a friend on the mall’s Instagram page, @ShopFairlane, there is a chance to win a $150 gift card from Toyland.

The mall also started its photos with Santa on Friday.

And in Oakland County, there’s a campaign for residents and visitors to “Shop Small and Local” with a sweepstakes. The county is asking for people to take a selfie at small businesses that one would consider to be a local gem. With every business submitted, participants have the opportunity to be entered to win a $1,000 and $500 prize. More information about the contest can be found at OakGov.com/ShopSmall.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Metro Detroit entrepreneurs hope for support Small Business Saturday