CINCINNATI — Buy less and choose well; it’s a quote fashion maven Tessa Clark lives by.
“I think often times people do not view the Midwest as a fashion forward region. I think we are proof that we can be,” Clark said.
Clark was featured in Season 17 of Project Runway. She’s also the Store Director at Idlewild Woman in downtown Cincinnati. The high-end women’s boutique is stocked with multiple brands from around the world.
“When designing and creating things, I just knew that I wanted to create a space that could represent them and showcase their work,” she said.
As they’re preparing to enter into the busiest shopping season of the year, Clark hopes that as you’re making your lists and checking them twice, you will choose to skip the mall and shop small for Small Business Saturday.
“There’s no way for small businesses to compete with large retailers. We simply don’t have the money to do that. It really comes down to offering interesting experiences, quality customer service, and quality products. When you shop small, you know you can get that,” Clark said.
Small Business Saturday was launched in 2010 by American Express as a way to increase efforts to support small businesses. American Express reported upwards of $17 billion was spent on Small Business Saturday in 2023.
In-store retail sales have seen continued growth since the pandemic. Inside the numbers, you can see that U.S. brick-and-mortar revenue projections will reach $8 trillion by 2028.
“People really want to get back into the store. Online shopping is still very important and still very relevant, but we're seeing people really wanting to go back to buying with what I call their five senses,” Over-The-Rhine Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Clayton said.
Idlewild Woman is a member of the OTR Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has 368 members who are all small business owners. Clayton said that you won't find many big name chains in the area. She added that $0.68 of every dollar spent at a small business is pumped right back into the community.
“If you think about it, that's a huge percentage. You're not just buying small, you're investing in a community,” Clayton said.
According to survey data by Drive Research, 49% of shoppers will purchase clothing and accessories on Small Business Saturday this year.
Contrary to belief, Clark said that 2020 and 2021 were their best sales years. They have seen a slight dip in earnings, but shoe sales continue to skyrocket and have kept them afloat. Clark told us that customers can expect new inventory and deals that will keep their spirits bright.
“We know that those customers are still here, and we really want to encourage people to continue to shop small and support local people,” she said.
Since 2010, spending during Small Business Saturday has been estimated at $201 billion, according to the Small Business Administration.
Small Business Saturday is Nov. 30th.
