Small Business Saturday and the overall weekend following Black Friday was apparently a mixed blessing, according to an informal straw poll of Main Street Seal Beach retailers. Some businesses saw more business on Black Friday, Nov. 23, while others saw more business on Saturday.
The Sun performed an informal, unscientific poll. These were the results:
Shane Bowman, a Harbor Surfboards sales associate, said business was good last weekend. “Better than expected,” he said.
“We were busier Friday than we were Saturday,” he said.
Bowman did not work Sunday, so he couldn’t compare Sunday business activity.
Amy Wade, a sales associate at Linne’s Boutique, worked at the Long Beach store during the weekend, but heard that Main Street Seal Beach retailers did well.
“A lot of our regular customers came back,” Wade said.
She was not sure if there was as much business on Saturday as on Friday. “Usually Black Friday is a big deal,” she said.
However, one jeweler said business was bad on Small Business Saturday.
“No support from anyone,” said Leo Latchinia, owner of Village Jewelers.
“Especially on the small business day,” he said. “The rest of the week was much better than those days.”
“Saturday was worse than any other day,” he said.
For other businesses, Sunday was the best day.
Tammy Hauswirch of the Temecula Olive Oil Company, said Small Business Saturday 2012 wasn’t as strong as Small Business 2011 had been.
However, she also said Saturday sales were stronger than Friday sales.
Hauswirch said last year a lot of American Express customers specifically asked about Small Business Saturday. Hauswirch speculated that American Express might not have promoted Small Business Saturday as aggressively as it had last year.
This year, like last year, American Express offered a $25 rebate to customers who shopped at small businesses on the day after Black Friday.
Hauswirch said Saturday sales were stronger than Friday sales and Sunday sales were stronger still.
“Number wise, Sunday was our strongest day,” Hauswirch said.
Still other stores had a great weekend overall.
“The weekend was wonderful,” said Lyn Bennett, a sales associate at Endless Summer.
Unlike Temecula Olive Oil Company, the Endless Summer store saw a lot of American Express customers out on Small Business Saturday.
Bennett said Friday was the store’s best day last weekend.
She also said Sunday sales were up from Saturday.
Yet Small Business Saturday apparently benefited stores like Up, Up and Away Kites.
“It was good,” said sales associate Marika Huelskamp. “We were actually really busy for a Saturday. I was surprised.”
“We actually did better on Small Business Saturday,” Huelskamp said.
Brooke Reid of the Harvey Girls Gallery had the same impression.
“It was very good,” Reid said.
She said the store was busy on both Friday and Saturday.
“I actually made a point on Small Business Saturday to ask if they (customers) were purposely shopping on Saturday or just happened to be in town,” Reid said.
According to Reid’s own straw poll, most customers either knew about Small Business Saturday or had made a commitment to shop at small businesses for the holidays.
