Copperas Cove celebrates small businesses

By PAMELA GRANT

Cove Leader-Press 

This weekend, Covites showed support for small businesses by shopping locally.

Copperas Cove held its annual Small Business Saturday event starting at 10 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. From there, participants were able to pick up a swag bag which included goodies donated by local small businesses and, most importantly, a passport.

The Leader-Press also furnished a printed map in color to show the way to all participating businesses that registered with the chamber of commerce, and highlighted a number of local businesses. 

The passport listed each of the businesses participating in Small Business Saturday and any incentives that they might be offering to encourage prospective shoppers to drop by. 

For each purchase of $5 or more, participating businesses will award the customer a stamp or sticker for their passport. Those that make purchases from at least seven of the participating businesses and stop by the Chamber of Commerce’s tent at the Kris Kindl Markt (where they can turn the passport in if it’s completed) will be entered into a drawing to win prizes donated by the businesses. 

Participants have until Dec 16 to return the stamped passport to the Chamber of Commerce. Passports are still available at the chamber office during regular business hours. 

“It gives them a longer period to shop and visit the businesses,” said Alicia Menard, President of the Chamber of Commerce. “We wanted to give people the time to shop, the time to experience the participating businesses, and not to rush them.”

Menard said that one of the purposes of the chamber is to help support small businesses, but she added that she feels like small businesses are the backbone of any community.

Small Business Saturday was founded by American Express and takes place each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The national event was an effort by the company to increase spending at small businesses to help those establishments to remain open.

Nedlewerkes, located in the Cove Terrace Shopping Center, was one of nearly 30 local businesses to participate this weekend.

“I do get people in here just because of Small Business Saturday,” said Lois McMaster, Proprietor for Nedlewerkes. “People come in to support a local small business…Small Business Saturday has been pretty good to me.”

McMaster said that she’s been participating in Small Business Saturday since it started ten years ago. She said that it’s important to her to support small businesses. Menard said that she personally does her best to purchase from locally owned businesses as much as possible.

One of Nedlewerkes’ special offers is a ‘grab bag sale’ wherein she offers a variety of sealed envelopes with only a small hint written on them about the contents. McMaster said that they are all worth more than the listed price, and she uses the grab bags to help clear some of her excess inventory. Nedlewerkes also offered discounted prices on many of their products.

One of the special things about Nedlewerkes, is that they are willing to teach customers, for free, how to craft anything that they purchase.

Also participating in this year’s Small Business Saturday was Fames & Things, located in the Cove Terrace Shopping Center. Frames & Things offered a 50% discount on custom framing with the purchase of any of the signed and numbered prints available in their store. They also offered 25% off framing for outside items and the ability to enter a drawing for a $200 gift certificate which will be presented at their First Friday event, which is Friday, Dec. 6 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. and features a show of local photographers’ work.

 “We’ve always been a small business,” said Debra Friddle who co-owns Frames & Things alongside her husband Joe Friddle. “We wanted to be part of everything that’s going on. We hope we might reach new customers that are coming in.”

Also hoping to reach new customers and touch base with old ones, the Bits N Bites Cake Shop on Avenue D offered a variety of Small Business Saturday sales. For Saturday only, they offered their cupcakes for $1, cones for $1, cups of ice cream for $2, free samples of their brownies, and the ability to enter a raffle for a $25 gift certificate for their store. Bits ‘N Bites is giving away three gift certificates. 

“We always love to participate in everything in the community,” said Rose Alvarado, owner of the Bits N Bites Cake Shop. “I think it brings people in. It lets us meet the new people in the community and visit with the people who have been here.”

Alvarado said that their shop is mostly known for its custom cakes, and that they will be creating a range of Christmas related goodies in preparation for the upcoming holiday as well as their participation in the Krist Kindl Markt.

“They’re super yummy, and they’re always fresh,” said Nicole Manyen who bought a dozen cupcakes for her and her friends at Bits N Bites on Saturday. Her friends also purchased their own extra cupcakes.

“It means a lot to support others in the local community,” said Manyen who sells Scentsy locally. “You make a bigger impact.”