Small Business Saturday brings a crowd to downtown Janesville

Nov. 29—Shoppers flocked to downtown Janesville over the weekend eager to participate in the annual Small Business Saturday.

From clothing boutiques to candy shops to specialty stores such as art galleries and music stores, local owners welcomed guests looking to buy items for loved ones at the outset of the holiday shopping season.

This year has proved to be a challenging one for business owners and consumers alike as supply shortages and higher demand have created a bottleneck of product availability. With this in mind, people are turning to "mom-and-pop" stores to get their gifts in a timely manner and avoid lengthy shipping delays associated with purchases from bigger retailers.

As she browsed the racks at Velvet & Tulle Boutique, Janesville resident Melissa Hesser said she prefers smaller shops because they offer a more personal experience not found online.

"A good thing about these boutiques is you're able to come out and actually see new trends, new styles," she said. "You actually get to try (clothes) on, too."

As someone who works for a local small business, Hesser can relate to the importance of keeping local money local.

"It hits home wanting to help out your local community where they might be struggling," she said. "You want to make sure they keep their dream alive just as much as anybody else."

Velvet & Tulle owner Kari Reents is appreciative of customers coming into her store, especially during a time when small businesses face the prospect of closing. Aside from supply shortages and higher demand, many shopkeepers are just now bouncing back from limitations caused by the pandemic. Many stores nationwide were not so lucky, and a study by the Federal Reserve estimated around 33% more stores shut down when compared to prepandemic years.

Reents knows how important events such as Small Business Saturday are to her bottom line, as well as to the community and its willingness to keep local establishments afloat. Not only will holiday shopping keep her and other owners profitable, but the impact will be felt in the near future.

"The sales that we see in December can get us through the first few months of the new year," she said.

For Chicago resident Shonnie Bilin, a stop at Raven's Wish Art Gallery in Janesville for the first time was a result of a penchant for trips to small towns in Wisconsin and a passion.

"(We) heard a lot of nice things about Janesville, so we decided to come out," she said.

As someone with a background working with independent owners in the gift and home decor industry, Bilin said she has always been a champion for small businesses and understands the importance of their presence in communities.

"People have to respect what an owner of a small business goes through and what they have to do to make their business solid and a success," Bilin said. "A lot of the large chains have come in and taken a lot of that away."

She also noted a stark difference in the customer experiences between large chain stores and those with smaller staff.

"Service is so important," she said. "You'll find that in a small business. You're not going to find that in a chain."

Raven's Wish's business model is affected less by the shortages that hamstring larger business. Owner Alicia Reid estimates around 90% of her art on display comes from local artists, but her gallery isn't completely immune. She said there have been issues with framing materials coming out of Italy. Reid said it doesn't affect the gallery's ability to sell art, but it makes it more challenging to help customers who might have a preference for frames that are on back order.

"We've made as many efforts as we could to be fully stocked to choose items that would be desirable," she said.

That includes having customers give her a ranked list of frames so they get something they want.

At The Sugar Exchange candy store, patrons know they will get an entirely different experience when they step through the doors.

"It's fun to find different things that you don't find at bigger stores," Tami Bartz said with both hands full of candy. The Beloit resident said the trip to The Sugar Exchange was part of a larger tour of small towns in the area. Her family stopped in Janesville after visiting Elkhorn.

"It's kind of a splurge for us to come out," she said.

Because she doesn't do much online shopping, Bartz cherishes the chance to stop by locally owned businesses.

"I'd rather support the local businesses if we can, and there's a lot of nice special specialty shops to get different things that you wouldn't find anywhere else," she said.

Stores selling items such as books and music face stiff competition from online sellers such as Amazon, which is running many out of business.

Drew Metter of The Exclusive Company music store is a proponent of the in-person music shopping experience, though he said he sometimes reluctantly refers guests to the internet if they are looking for an item he doesn't have in store. Buying books and music online can undercut the expertise many owners and employees pride themselves on providing.

"I think you mostly find that in small businesses because that's how they survive," he said.

Mark and Rachel Chapman of Fort Atkinson stopped by The Exclusive Company to find vinyl records for their teenage son. Mark said that could have been done online, but this year the couple looked forward to the opportunity to support small businesses.

"A lot of these businesses are going to fold," Chapman said. "If we want to find something unique or something that's not cookie-cutter, we're definitely doing more local shopping."

Although the impact of the weekend's shopping won't be known until the end of the year, the outpouring of support for small businesses was immediately evident.

"It's the small businesses that are giving back to the community, so I think it's (coming) full circle, and people are starting to see that a little more clearly," Reents of Velvet & Tulle said.