MEMPHIS, Tenn — For business owners across Memphis, Small Business Saturday is a day that could make or break their whole year.
According to a study from Digital Third Coast, 44 percent of small business owners are depending on holiday season sales in 2023.
The group Made in Memphis is dedicated to creating affordable markets for artists and small business to showcase their products to customers in person. They held one such market Saturday at the Wiseacre Brewery on Broad Street in Binghampton.
“The reason we came back this year to do this on a Small Business Saturday is because of the foot traffic that (Wiseacre) provides,” said Made in Memphis part owner Booth McGee.
McGee said events like these create the perfect environment for business owners to get those all-important interactions with customers.
“I’m seeing a lot of people come out,” said Dane Williams of The Memphis Maker, which creates laser-engraved 3-D printed items. “I've had some good sales already, and it's just an hour or so into this.”
Equally important to the individual sales is the chance for businesses owners to interact with each other.
“Maybe somebody who owns a shop sees them and says, ‘Hey, I would love to carry your stuff in our store,’” McGee gave as an example.
That's the opportunity McGee and Made in Memphis are committed to providing.
“So that these people can have their fiscal year made by Small Business Saturday,” she said.
McGee said 2023 is their second year in a row partnering with Wiseacre but the first time they’ve done so on Small Business Saturday. She said they will hold a holiday market at Soul and Spirits Brewery on December 9th.