Have Tri-Cities small retailers ‘turned a corner’ and bounced back after Covid pandemic?

The 2023 edition of Small Business Saturday is over, but Tri-Cities businesses are eager to see its spirit live on as the holiday shopping season hits its stride.

Local businesses noted an uptick in traffic on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, heralding a promising start to the time of year that can make or break the bank.

“Small Business Saturday was awesome,” said Jessica Dilger, owner of Whimsy Apothecary, in downtown Kennewick.

Whimsy, like several other small businesses the Tri-City Herald visited in the days after Thanksgiving, was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic but stands eager to embrace holiday shoppers.

At a national level, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend was an unquestioned hit for retailers, with more than 200 million consumers making some sort of purchase, according to the National Retail Federation. That was well above expectations.

The federation said shopping took place in person and online, with 121.4 million people visiting physical locations over the holiday stretch. The vast majority made holiday-related purchases.

Mike Fong, director of the Washington Department of Commerce, turbocharged the #ShopLocal message in the Tri-Cities. He spent Small Business Saturday in downtown Pasco, where he called on three retailers and a radio broadcaster.

His mission: Raise the visibility of small businesses during the holidays and highlight resources the commerce department provides the rest of the year.

He encouraged shoppers to keep supporting small, local businesses throughout the holiday season. Washington’s 600,000 small businesses collectively employ more than half of all workers.

“We should do everything we can to support them,” he said. “It keeps our dollars in our local economies. That builds our economic growth and workforce.”

#SmallBusinessSaturday

American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010 to steer shoppers to small, local businesses on the day after Black Friday. It started as a marketing promotion to extend the shopping frenzy into the weekend.

It caught on and became one of the anchors of the first week of shopping season: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Secondhand Sunday, Giving Tuesday and so forth.

Today, small businesses say they depend on it and sales throughout the holiday season to stay afloat the rest of the year.

Fong spent the holidays in the Yakima area. He said he decided to drive to Pasco for Small Business Saturday after being impressed by the growth and diversity of the community during a statewide tour earlier this year.

“I think the Tri-Cities is an exciting area,” he said, “We are increasing our focus out there.”

His department is bringing a focus to equity as the economy recovers from the pandemic. That means offering greater support to minority and women-owned businesses. Pasco, he said, represented an opportunity to tell that story.

“A big part of this role is to make sure I am in communities and to listen to the needs so we better shape the policies and investments we make,” he said.

Businesses at the ready

Dilger is a serial entrepreneur who started Whimsy at her husband’s suggestion in mid-2022 at the Public Market at Columbia River Warehouse. She’d closed another business during the pandemic and was ready for something new.

Whimsy moved to 318 W. Kennewick Ave. in February. The business sells soy candles, vegan skin care lotions, teas, books, cards, home decor, bags and more. Holiday sales are a main source of revenue.

“It’s pretty important to me,” she said.

Before the pandemic, Dilger owned a photography business and later a subscription box service that combined products from small businesses into boxes for about 200 subscribers. The subscription boxes faltered during the pandemic because of supply chain issues.

Whimsy, her newest business, was inspired by her family and attempts to keep allergies at bay. Family members make the candles and other products sold in the store without allergy-triggering chemicals. Whimsy also offers workshops and classes on candle making as well as mixing lotions.

“We mostly started because we’re allergic to everything,” she said.

Creations Crystals & Healthy L.I.F.E. Center, 222 W. Kennewick Ave., is another business that had to find its footing after the pandemic.

Owner Charee Jackson spent late 2019 and early 2020 preparing to open her store, which sells crystals, rocks, gems, bracelets, art and other items made by more than 20 vendors in downtown Kennewick.

Creations Crystals also hosts small gatherings in its cozy tapestry-lined basement and Jackson’s Reiki practice. Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing.

A death in the family delayed the opening. But by spring 2020, she was ready and set a day: Monday, March 23.

That ended up being the day Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order for people to stay home for all but essential activities in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

She was able to open because her Reiki practice was considered essential, With few customers out and about, the early days were challenging.

She can’t compete with big box retailers and their massive Black Friday-style discounts. Instead, she works to keep prices reasonable and the atmosphere welcoming.

“Everybody is welcome. That is the purpose of my store,” she said.

Jackson said holiday shoppers don’t just boost the shop’s revenue. They show small business owners people care about their neighbors.

“It’s huge for small business for people to shop local,” she said.

Fong’s visit to Pasco highlighted another pandemic survivor, Chica Dorada Boutique, which sells women’s apparel.

Owner Gabriela Dominguez had to move out of her original location at the pandemic’s onset. She put her inventory in storage and waited. She reopened four months later by co-locating her apparel business with her niece’s business, Shoe Love Shoetique, at 516-1/2 W. Clark St. in downtown Pasco.

Now in its 16th year, Chica Dorada is back on solid footing. Like her neighbors in Pasco, her traffic is tied to farming season. Business slows in the coldest months and she’s prepared for it.

She said she’s grateful for the support she’s received and the opportunity she found to own her own shop.

“I love business,” she said.

“Its’ a story we’ve been hearing a lot of. Folks hunkered down for the pandemic, turned a corner, and are kicking the tires on growth opportunities,” Fong said. “It reinforces for me every time, the entrepreneurial spirit is a thing to behold.”

Resources available

Resources are available for entrepreneurs and existing businesses through both the state and federal government, said Fong.

He is the state commerce director now. But previously, he was regional administrator for the Small Business Administration.

Pandemic era resources such as the Paycheck Protection Program have wound down. But the crisis created a new urgency around small businesses. Washington state, he said, is rolling out new funding programs and a commitment to ensure they are distributed equitably.

He advises small business owners and those considering starting a business to tap into the Small Business Resiliency Network, which can facilitate access to resources, technical assistance and even help with translating services.

To connect with the department in the Tri-Cities, contact Norma Chavez, a community engagement specialist serving business serving Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla and surrounding counties.

She maintains a Kennewick office at the Tri-City Development Council. Call 360-918-3039 or email Norma.chavez@commerce.wa.gov.

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