Texas merchants are betting big on Small Business Saturday

Precision Camera has competed with major online retailers for years, but local customers have come through again and again for the Austin, Texas-based business. That happened throughout the coronavirus pandemic, when it was never more crucial.

"Austin people have supported us, and that's why we are still here," General Manager Gregg Burger said. "They stayed through with us even when everything was remote."

Precision Camera, which opened in 1976 and has stores on West Anderson Lane and at the Southpark Meadows shopping center in South Austin, went virtual when the pandemic hit, offering online sale sessions and photography classes.

Now, the Precision Camera's stores are back in-person for the holiday season, and Burger said he is optimistic.

"Everyone is ready for human interaction again," he said. "We are facing the same supply chain issues as everyone else, but we are feeling very positive. Our staff is 100% vaccinated, and we are ready to go."

For Precision Camera and other Central Texas merchants, the holiday season is always crucial. But this year, as small retailers climb out of the economic hole created by the pandemic, the 2021 holiday season could be make or break for many. That’s why, they say, it’s especially important for Austin consumers to consider patronizing locally owned shops.

As the traditional holiday shopping season kicks off on Black Friday, small retailers are hoping that the following day – Small Business Saturday – brings in needed revenue for locally based, independent merchants.

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Launched in 2010 by American Express, this year’s Small Business Saturday is once again encouraging consumers to “shop local” and “shop small.”

“Small Business Saturday is an opportunity for Austinites to celebrate our local businesses,” said Sylnovia Holt-Rabb of the city's Economic Development Department. “We encourage shoppers to visit Austin business districts throughout the year to make a big impact. By spending your dollars locally, you are investing back into your community.” 

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More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and small businesses create about two-thirds of new jobs in the U.S. each year, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey reported that 56% of small businesses said this year's Small Business Saturday is more critical than ever for their stores, and more than 78% of merchants said holiday sales will impact their ability to keep their doors open in 2022. 

Fortunately for small businesses, there is no evidence that Americans are pulling back this season. Spending in recent months has been strong, federal data show.

But supply chain issues remain an issue for small retailers, who often get shut out by large chains.

"As industries are growing, they're working with the bigger companies, which makes it that much harder for small businesses," said April Ritzenthaler, executive director of the Austin Independent Business Alliance. 

Ritzenthaler is encouraging Central Texas shoppers to be flexible with what local merchants have to offer and to support them in any way possible, whether through purchasing gift cards or in-store shopping.

"Buy what's on the shelf," she said. "That's how you get to be part of the community and have magical moments you can't have anywhere else. It's those connections that are delightful and feed the soul. We need to keep that alive."

'We're really hopeful'

After a challenging year, Con' Olio Oils and Vinegars has high hopes for Small Business Saturday, said owner Tabatha Conarko.

"We expect it to be our busiest day of the year," she said. "Everything aligned in the last couple weeks, and we now have a full team and we are fully stocked. We're feeling really good about it."

The business, which has stores in Bee Cave and in the Arboretum in North Austin, is known for its tasting bars. When COVID-19 hit, Conarko was forced to rethink everything.

"We had to shut down our indoor classes, so we pivoted our business," Conarko said. "We opened up virtual tasting classes. I created a kit, loaded it to our website and we started getting calls from companies that wanted to have an oil and vinegar class for their teams." 

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That helped the company through the most challenging points in the pandemic. Now, Conarko said Con' Olio is anticipating strong in-store sales, as well as sales from corporate entities. Already, a law firm has ordered 300 gift sets, and an eye doctor has purchased 350, she said.

"At one point, I thought, 'I don't know how we're going to survive,'" Conarko said. "Now we're really hopeful. My team is jazzed. We're here because of our team."

The same can be said for Casero, which makes charcuterie and cheese boards for delivery and runs a walk-up window at the Mueller development.

"We had to get creative and find work-arounds. We're always on our toes," said Casero partner Emily Stengel. "We have a lot of businesses that use us for gifts. We are grateful for our corporate clients. They're still out there."

During the pandemic, Casero "did a lot of single boxes, and now we're doing larger shareable boards," Stengel said. "We certainly adapted for health and safety, and we are very excited about this holiday season."

Clint Strait, president of Strait Music Company, said the locally owned music store expects to see significant growth in holiday sales over 2020, and anticipates a strong start on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

"November sales have already seen a big jump over 2020, so it appears people are getting started early," Strait said. "In our specific industry of music retail, we have seen increased demand and record sales because beginners on up to lifelong musicians are playing music now more than ever. It's been one of the lone bright spots brought on by the pandemic."

Strait has big plans for next year. By summer 2022, the company plans to move from its current Ben White Boulevard site and into a new space in the former Stein Mart space on Bee Cave Road in Westlake. Clint Strait said the relocation "will be our third major move and our most extensive buildout" to date.

As for the holiday shopping season, Strait said that although supply chain issues "have plagued us just like anyone else, our team did an incredible job of getting ahead of things, and we are fully stocked and ready to bring music to our community for the remainder of 2021."

Strait encouraged local consumers to spend their money with retailers who are based in Austin.

"Any place in America can be overrun by national chains," Strait said. "Keep Austin unique by supporting local businesses and keeping intact the fabric that make this city special."

Statesman reporter Shonda Novak contributed to this story.