NEW ORLEANS – The holiday shopping season kicks off with Small Business Saturday, a national shopping holiday (after Black Friday and before Cyber Monday) that encourages consumers to buy local.
On Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 12:00 p.m. at the New Orleans Healing Center at 2372 St Claude Ave., a second line led by Soul Brass Band will take participants to three trailblazing businesses along St. Claude Avenue where revelers are encouraged to start their holiday shopping. The parade will stop in front of the Maypop Community Herb Shop, Faubourg Wines and Byrdie’s Pottery.
From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the New Orleans Healing Center will host a Holiday Pop-up Market full of unique gifts. Vendors include New Orleans Green, The Art of Jordan B. Wade and Nolasalvage Art. Shop Small Santa will spread holiday spirit with swag, gift certificates and more.
This year’s Grand Marshal is Burnell Cotlon, owner and builder of the Lower 9th Ward Market. His store is the only grocery store in the 9th ward and it provides residents with fresh groceries and a family-friendly atmosphere. After Hurricane Katrina, big-box stores were reluctant to open in the 9th ward, so Cotlon, a native New Orleanian, took matters in to his own hands and opened a grocery store. Cotlon said he knows local businesses build stronger neighborhoods by protecting local character, sustaining communities and linking neighbors.
“Small Business Saturday is about celebrating our community and what makes us unique,” Stay Local program manager Meredith Cherney said. “Local businesses are run by our family, friends, and neighbors, and dollars spent at these businesses stay in the community.”
As Greater New Orleans’ independent business alliance, Stay Local’s mission is to promote “shopping small” and support locally-owned and operated businesses.
“Study after study shows us that a dollar spent at a locally-owned business has three to four times the economic impact than a dollar spent at a big box store or national chain,” Cherney said. These studies provide evidence that shopping locally simultaneously creates jobs, funds more city services through sales tax, and increases investment in neighborhood improvement and community development.
The event is a collaborative effort led by local community groups. Stay Local!, New Orleans Healing Center, IBERIABANK, Gambit and WWOZ 90.7 FM.
The Second Line and Holiday Market are free and open to the public.
