Chattanooga business owners retool their plans for Small Business Saturday during a pandemic

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Miranda Perez, the owner of Owl Cove Boutique in Ooltewah, uses social media to promote the store and is planning specials to encourage Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday shoppers. Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Miranda Perez, the owner of Owl Cove Boutique in Ooltewah, uses social media to promote the store and is planning specials to encourage Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday shoppers.

By Mary Fortune November 27, 2020 4 min read

Small Business Saturday is usually an elbow-to-elbow affair of big crowds and big sales at local retailers, but business owners are stretching out and down-shifting the celebrations a bit in 2020.

“It’s tough because there was a nice, positive energy to that weekend,” said Patrick Holland, who owns Mountain Top Toys on Signal Mountain and Learning Express on the North Shore. “You really can’t do it the same way.”

But there are still deals to be had during the extended sales retailers are offering, and local stores are offering enhanced online shopping, delivery and curbside pickup options, Holland said. And it’s more important than ever to support local businesses, he added.

“We do 30% to 35% of our business in six to seven weeks,” he said. “Who you support these next four to five weeks are who will survive next year.”