Blue signs reminding people to shop local started popping up around Waterville in November in anticipation of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26. The day after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday is meant to encourage people to support local and small businesses in their communities while shopping for the holidays.

“We’re kind of like the fabric of the community,” said Nicole Sulea, owner of Heirloom Vintage Boutique on Temple Street in Waterville. “When you go and visit a town, you want to visit its small businesses. You don’t want to go to its big box stores or its chain restaurants.”

A 2011 report from the Maine Center for Economic Policy found that for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $58 goes back in the local economy. The study found that local businesses tend to spend locally when it comes to costs like advertising, repairs, equipment and professional services.

At stores like Sulea’s, they can help preserve the history of the area, too.

“I have a lot of fashion from Waterville when it was in its heyday,” she said. Sulea finds a lot of items people bought at stores like Levine’s clothing store, which sold men’s and boys’ clothing.

Sulea, who brought her business to Waterville four years ago, said she had small waves of customers coming in on Saturday. The holidays are generally a busy time for her because people come looking for gifts for either their loved ones or themselves, she said.

Still, she said she’d like to see more people “make a day of it” on Small Business Saturday.

“I think it’s fun to be downtown because we have so many different kinds of businesses and eateries,” she said.

Other stores saw a steady stream of customers, as well. Adam Balbo, manager of the Loyal Biscuit Co. store on Main Street, said they saw a pretty good sales day overall. Balbo also saw a lot of customers come in with bags from other small businesses.

“I think there were a lot of people downtown, period,” he said.

Balbo thinks it’s important to keep shopping local because it keeps people in the community together and “keeps us stronger.” At a small business, you’re more likely to get “hands-on help” than you are surfing through Amazon, he said.

Leah Oliver, owner of Sparrows Consignment on Main Street in Waterville, held a sale and pop-up shop event to promote Small Business Saturday, which she said was fairly busy. Oliver opened her store four years ago to help support the local community.

“Local business supports our local economy,” she said.

In Oakland, business owner Karla Carey said in the early afternoon that, so far, Saturday was a very good day for her store Kozy Cottage, which is on Church Street in Oakland.

Carey has owned the store, which sells antiques, vintage furniture and gifts, for eight years. One of the best things about owning the shop has been all the people she’s met along the way, she said.

“It is wonderful to see how many people really do support small businesses,” Carey said. “It is the community and the people in it that keep us going … It is very important for us to group together.”

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour

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