NYC small businesses ask buyers for support this holiday season

The stuffed turkey feast and the family celebration of Thanksgiving Day They were left behind, but while New Yorkers enjoyed delicious dinners, the date opened the door at end of year festivities.

The 2022 is a few weeks away from saying goodbyeand as usual these days, large companies launch their ads so that buyers flock to shopping centers and online sites, in the so-called “Black Friday”, which is often loaded with good deals and low prices that buyers want to take advantage of.

But small shops, neighborhood restaurants and even vendors with street stalls, they also enter the sales day. And almost that, lighting a candle to all the saintsmany expect their income to increase from this weekend when the call arrives “Small Business Saturday”a campaign that the City is promoting, where the clamor is that those who wish to spend on shopping and dining do so in local neighborhoods and not in large stores.

That’s the hope they have retail entrepreneurs as Urartian Lygiawho is one of the 220,000 small businesses It is estimated that there are in the Big Apple, a good part of them immigrants and Latinos, with their store selling sports shirts on Roosevelt Avenue.

“I hope that as of Saturday this will be fixed, because the truth is sales have been very lowand hopefully, in addition to the World Cup, the start of Christmas shopping will make people want to come to our stores more because everything here is cheaper“Said the Mexican.

Laura, another Mexican merchant, who preferred to only identify herself by her first name and who is dedicated to the business of the bakery in Olla, in Long Island City, she was hopeful that the arrival of the end of the year holidays would be a good time for everyone.

“Here we sell typical products and also good Mexican food and these months have been more or less up and down, but hopefully people will go out to eat more in our Latin places. At least that is the illusion, ”said the immigrant, while she made a call to the municipal authorities. “I would like you to create a route plan through the neighborhoodswhere they would work with us and give us advertising support so that more people, especially from Manhattan, would come here to do their shopping”.

The call of small businesses coincides with the message from the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS), that as the holiday shopping season approaches, encourages New Yorkers to support small businesses.

“Buying means that you are supporting your community. Small businesses are the backbone of the local New York economy, with more than 230,000 businesses that employ 3.69 million people. In addition to contributing to the workforce, small businesses connect communities and help create unique and energetic neighborhoods throughout our city.

SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kiminsisted that small New York businesses have so much variety and quality in the items they offer that it is worth making stops at those places to choose your Christmas purchases.

“New Yorkers don’t have to travel far to find the perfect holiday gift.. With wonderful small businesses on every corner, New Yorkers across the five boroughs are in luck and should take advantage of the opportunity to shop small, local stores this holiday season,” said the head of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. .

According to the national retail federationmost purchases this season are made between October 1 and December 31, and last year small businesses had such an impact that there were 51 million buyers nationwide on the day of “Small Business Saturday”.

The Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, In addition to promoting this coming weekend to support small businesses, he announced that 11 blocks of Midtown, in Manhattan, will be a pedestrian space, without cars, which will also facilitate shopping. Fifth Avenue, from 48th Street to 57th Street, will become an open street the three Sundays of December.

“Every year, people from all over the world come to New York City, and specifically to Midtown Manhattan, for the holiday season. This year, we will make that experience safer and more enjoyable for all New Yorkers and visitors with more access to Open Streets,” said Mayor Adams. “This is the kind of bold and creative thinking we need to ensure the city’s comeback is strong, equitable and inclusive. And to all those who come from abroad I only have two messages: happy holidays and spend money”.

the vice mayor Maria Torres-Springeralso joined the call for more people to shop at local stores.

“Time and again, we have seen open streets and holiday events boost foot traffic, increase economic activity, attract tourism and contribute to safer, more exciting and prosperous business corridors,” said the official. “This holiday season will be a boon for local businesses.”

Councilor Keith Powers He highlighted the initiative to pedestrianize Fifth Avenue and saw it as a good measure that will promote commerce.

“By creating an open street along Fifth Avenue, we are creating a pedestrian paradise that benefits both window-shoppers and shoppers. Every Christmas season, people flock to Rockefeller Center to spend time under the lights, admire the tree and shop around,” said the majority leader of the legislative body.

Nicholas Lugopresident of the New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commercean entity that promotes economic growth, development and looks after the interests of small businesses, particularly Latino businesses, called for support for local businesses.

“We advocate for New Yorkers to shop local and support small businesses in their communities. By buying local, New Yorkers are playing a key role in helping small businesses in their communities prosper, which supports their overall economy during these difficult inflationary times we are all experiencing,” said Lugo, highlighting the importance of connecting businesses.

“As an organization, we help small businesses engage in networking with other businesses, government agencies, and financial institutions to access resources, guidance, and support in business management and marketing (…) we encourage small business entrepreneurs to connect with each other and create mutually beneficial relationships that help boost their businesses,” he concluded.

In Brooklyn, which has about 62,000 small businessesthe Chamber of Commerce of that county teamed up with the New York City Department of Small Business Services and the social networking company Meta to push online and digital platforms new ways to attract customers to their businesses.

“It’s a new market and economic landscape and if they’re not digitally connected, leveraging social media beyond their websites or if they’re not really participating in the digital marketplace, they’re going to be left behind,” he said. Randy Peers, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Nicola MendelsohnVice President of the Global Business Group of Metapredicted that the New Year’s season will be successful for small businesses in New York and highlighted the importance of showing up more on social networks to continue being the best ambassadors for the Big Apple.

“For many small businesses, the holiday season represents more than half of their annual sales, and Meta is proud to do our part to help them grow and support them,” said the executive.

This year the Thanksgiving and Christmas sales season comes with additional challengesbecause in addition to the impact that the pandemic had on small businesses, high inflation and the increase in merchandise prices that businesses have had to readjust, could play against them.

Recently the New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, He highlighted that small New York businesses face serious challenges to recover after the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as he noted that 90% have claimed to have or have had a negative impact on their operations, for which he urged the different levels of the Government to shake hands.

“Small businesses in New York have been more severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than the rest of the nation, and the negative impacts on small businesses continue. However, many small businesses, which are the lifeblood of many neighborhoods in the city, are getting back on their feet.” commented DiNapoli. “It is crucial that the federal, state and New York City governments continue to work to improve the business climate and help drive future success.”

Danny Garcia, business owner Salsa Caterersfrom East Harlem insisted that there are many challenges that businesses like his still face.

“As we continue on the road to recovery, it is critical that all levels of government – ​​state, federal and local – work together to ensure that small businesses have the tools and resources we need to succeed,” said the entrepreneur.

Small businesses in NYC in numbers

• 220,000 businesses are in New York City
• 3.69 million jobs are generated by these small businesses in the Big Apple
• 1 in 3 businesses are estimated to have closed in NY due to the pandemic
• 44.7% of businesses suffered serious losses or closures
• 35% of small businesses closed in the first part of the pandemic
• 25% of small businesses laid off their employees in the midst of a pandemic
• 2 out of 3 net new jobs are being created by small businesses
• 62,000 small businesses are in Brooklyn
• 90% small business owners say they are having or have had a negative impact on their operations
• 68% of small business owners have increased prices to offset the impact of the economy
• 47% say that having qualified employees is still their biggest challenge
• There are 32.5 million small businesses in the United States.
• 50% of the total workforce in the country works in small businesses
• 51 million buyers participated in the “Small Business Saturday” day in 2021 throughout the country
• $23.3 billion left the sales of these businesses in 2021

Where to learn more about small businesses in NYC and how to support them?

• Through this link from the Department of Small Businesses you can learn more about the “Buy in the City” campaign: https://shopyourcity.cityofnewyork.us/
• Through this page of the City, you will be able to know exactly which Hispanic businesses you can help with your purchases and where they are located: https://shopyourcity.cityofnewyork.us/syc-latinx/
• City Recommendations to Support Small Businesses:
• Participate in Small Business Saturday
• Avoid the chaos of Black Friday and do more shopping on Small Business Saturday
• Buy half of your grocery list from local small businesses
• Share small business content on social media like images on Instagram or Facebook.
• Leave positive reviews online for small businesses to get more traction and visibility