Rob Ponti said around 2010 he began noticing more and more people looking to small, local businesses for their holiday shopping needs.
He ought to know, having opened Mentor bike shop The Bicycle Hub in the spring of 2011, after working at a now-defunct local bike shop for a number of years before that.
"A few years back, we noticed people starting to kind of shy away from buying online and from the big-box stores," the Chester Township resident said Nov. 26, smack-dab in the middle of Small Business Saturday, a campaign started in 2010 by American Express, according to the company's Website.
Ponti said that's right around when he and his colleagues "saw that stuff changing."
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"Before that – back in, like, 2000 – we saw a lot of online shopping, because it was the new thing," he said, adding that, over the years, more and more consumers started seeing the advantages of buying local from local merchants.
He said the Small Business Saturday campaign has definitely been a big help to all manner of smaller, independent businesses.
"It kind of helps drive local traffic and customers in, which is a good thing," he said.
He said his shop, which carries everything from $ 200 training-wheel bikes for kids all the way up to high-end racing and mountain bikes costing into the thousands, mostly sees customers coming in for bike maintenance and service the Saturday after Thanksgiving. But his business does see a bit of a bump in activity on Small Business Saturday.
But he said a recent uptick in the number of area mountain bike trails has increased the demand for mountain bikes and the gear that goes along with them. And, by the time last-minute shoppers remember they have a cousin, nephew, niece or aunt who just got into riding, they'll start coming into his shop at 7430 Mentor Ave. to find that perfect gift.
On the other side of Lake County, a 2 1/2-year-old gift boutique in Fairport Harbor Village called The Gravel Pit was bustling with activity as Small Business Saturday continued.
Maybe it was the chance to win a $ 50 gift certificate, a custom-painted table or the Wild Spork food truck parked out front all day that drew such a crowd.
Whatever it was, the Small Business Saturday scene at the shop, owned by Darlene ODonnell, of Montville Township, and her daughter, Nicole Betteley, seemed all a small business owner could hope for.
ODonnell said it was going great.
"How are things going? Awesome," she said as she caught a breather in the office at the back of the shop Saturday afternoon. "We opened at 9:00, and it was a little crowded. There was slight lull after that. Maybe people were getting breakfast or something. But after that, it was go time all over again."
ODonnell said she and her daughter, a Fairport Harbor resident, picked the village for their business because of how much they loved the storefront where they're located, at 225 High Street, and that the Village "from the mayor all the way to the people who live here" has been nothing but supportive of their small business. They do quite a bit to promote their little shop, which sells everything from high-end candles, soaps and craftwork to unique clothing, furniture and reclaimed vintage and industrial furnishings and decor, she said.
She said she also likes how the village makes an event out of Small Business Saturday and uses it as an opportunity to highlight each of the unique small businesses there.
When asked how important the day is for her shop, ODonnell said "It's critical."
"It's the biggest day of the year for us," she said.
It was also a pretty big day for Fairport Harbor resident Alice Cable, who said she, her 8-year-old son, Ty, and 4-year-old daughter, Megan, have turned the day into a new tradition.
"It's our second year tradition, I guess," Cable said. "First, we get our pancakes across the street (at Fairport Family Restaurant). It works out pretty well. I mean, I did almost all my Christmas shopping last year in Fairport's small businesses."
She said she likes shopping at them, because customers get so much more out of the whole experience.
"People put their heart and soul into their small businesses," she said. "And a lot of the things you'll find are handmade, or you just won't find them elsewhere."
Cable also said she likes how Fairport Harbor makes an event out of Small Business Saturday.
For Cincinnati residents Brian Maslyar and Maarit Karp, stopping by The Gravel Pit and doing a little Small Business Saturday shopping fit right into their plan to visit Lake County, where Maslyar grew up.
"It's been a long time since I've been around here," he said, adding that the last time he'd been to Fairport Harbor was probably around the time he first got his driver's license, and he's knocking on 50's door these days.
"So we thought we'd come look at the lake, walk around a little bit and look through some of the shops around town now."
He said Fairport looks quite a bit different than it did in his Lake County days.
For Karp, who is originally from Finland, Fairport Harbor's rich Finnish heritage also was quite appealing, she said, adding that she likes to support small, local businesses whenever she can.
"I like to know I'm supporting local entrepreneurs," she said. "And you always know you're going to find something different and unique."
Beyond that, as Ponti pointed out in his bicycle shop, it's good to build a relationship with a local business, especially with something like a bicycling hobby.
"It's about that level of service a small business can offer," he said. "You're dealing with a real person, face-to-face. We can make suggestions and help people with their buying decisions. Plus, we're here to offer services after that and that's something people just don't always get when buying online or from a big-box store.
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