Did you know that approximately 85% of Frostburg’s businesses are locally owned and operated? We think this is pretty amazing, so we decided to celebrate! Small Business Saturday, founded by American Express in 2010, was the perfect opportunity to rally around our downtown shopping district and show some local love.
Small Business Saturday fell on November 26 this year – the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. After a few years celebrating this Shop Local movement in Frostburg, we really wanted to amp it up this year. We rallied local store owners in town and saw a record-breaking 33 restaurants and retail stores in Frostburg offer amazing discounts, raffle opportunities, and special events to thank shoppers for buying locally.
As part of our momentum, we wanted to extend our Small Business Saturday efforts to include a local artist and artisans Handmade Holiday Fair. Thirteen artists set up their wares in City Place, Frostburg’s community hub, and featured handmade functional pottery, textiles, wire-wrapped and electroformed jewelry, repurposed wood furniture, vegan dog treats, and much more! Melissa Davidson, owner of Fur Reals pet food and treats, sold out of her supply just a few hours into the Handmade Holiday Fair. Artist Jessie McNalley went home with only 4 of her paintings of Frostburg scenescapes. Many artists reported excellent sales during the Handmade Holiday Fair.
Several participating businesses reported record-breaking sales on Small Business Saturday as well. Main Street Books, Frostburg’s beloved independent bookstore, celebrated its 27th anniversary during the event with a 20% off sale on books for all ages and a handmade nativity sale. Owner Fred Powell reports that even after 27 years, Main Street Books broke sales records on this year’s Shop Small holiday. Jennie Clark, owner of the Frostburg Fiber Depot, a yarn store which just celebrated its first anniversary in October, also reported record sales. Diana Iman, owner of Funky Repurps, a shop which carries antique and repurposed furniture and other decorative gift items, said of Small Business Saturday, “The foot traffic was unbelievable, and at times, people were waiting outside just to get in the door!”
FrostburgFirst is so proud of its downtown business district for banding together to throw a true city-wide celebration of all things local! We thank our business owners, artists, residents, volunteers, and community members for supporting the Shop Small movement and thinking a little closer to home for the holiday season. We hope you will join us for our other holiday events: Storybook Holiday on Saturday, December 3 and the Candlelight Tour on Sunday, December 11. More information on these events can be found on our Holiday Events page.
