Small Business Saturday brings in additional shoppers

Special to Leader-Press 

Miniature Miss Five Hills Josslynn Coombs dropped to her knees and admired the orange and red fiery sunset in a painting that depicted an oil well pumping crude in a Texas pasture. The work of art was one of many on display in Frames and Things with support of the Five Hills Art Guild for Small Business Saturday sponsored by the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce.

The Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty and other shoppers converged on small, local businesses on Saturday after picking up their swag bags containing their passports at Cove Terrace Shopping Center. 

The titleholders visited more than a dozen small businesses making purchases along the way.  Five Hills Junior Ambassador Hayley Sawyer purchased a variety of items from ornaments to clothing.

“These small businesses are the foundation and heart our city, running their businesses with passion and with a true love for our community,” Sawyer said. “They give back to all of our local programs and organizations and on Small Business Saturday, we have the chance to support them even more.”

Preteen Miss Five Hills Romella Spitzer said the fact that COVID-19 is forcing many local small businesses to remain closed or operate at reduced capacity is just one of several reasons to support these business owners whenever possible. 

“Shopping locally helps strengthen the job market because it creates new job opportunities for those seeking to work close to home,” Spitzer said. “Shopping locally also builds trust within the community and makes people more confident that their city or town will survive during these difficult times. Finally, supporting small businesses will create a greater chance of the business succeeding and give the business owner a chance to expand and grow which also helps the local economy.”

According to the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce, for every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 returns to the community. Sixty-five percent of all new jobs created are within small businesses while 55 percent of Americans work for or own a small business. Sixty-seven percent of owners start small businesses because of a personal passion.

Senior Ms. Five Hills Dawn Hale made a purchase at nearly every business she visited. 

“It’s very important to support our community by supporting small businesses,” Hale said. “It was also a joy to meet everyone and learn about all the different businesses and services they offer.”

Small Business Saturday began in 2010 is celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

“This is such a wonderful event that should last all year because the more our local business succeed, the better our entire city will be,” Sawyer said. “There are so many treasures you can find at these small businesses that you can’t find anywhere else.”