Small businesses prep for big day Saturday

Thousands of shoppers on the Central Coast went out for big savings on Black Friday, but now small businesses are prepping for their big day Saturday.

At Cannery Row in Monterey, there are plenty of tourists who help local stores get sales. However, one business owner says without local support, they would be out of business.

“Without the local support, we wouldn’t be here. We’ve been here for 24 years now, and without our wine club, which is supported by a lot of locals, we definitely wouldn’t be here,” said Robyn Rauh, the co-owner of A Taste of Monterey Wine Market & Bistro.

Many businesses on Cannery Row are locally owned, and some are needing a good boost.

“Not a lot of tourists are coming anymore, I guess. It’s less than before,” said Rose Inductivo, owner of Pacific Coast Clothing.

Black Friday has become known as a day where big retailers make big gains, but Small Business Saturday, which started in 2010, tries to get shoppers to buy local.

“Local businesses in general support the local economy, so we’re hiring staff that live here locally,” said Rauh. “And in turn, we are supported by the people who live locally who want to support the local economy. So it all works together.”

According to the Small Business Administration, there are over 30 million small businesses in the country. They make up about 99.9 percent of all businesses in the United States.

But besides being an important part of the national economy, small businesses are what makes home unique.

“I think it creates a lot more variety. There’s a lot of different, diverse things small businesses can provide,” said one Cannery Row tourist.

“We always have different, good stuff in Cannery Row than comparing to the mall,” said Inductivo.

“And if everything was corporate run, it would be all the same everywhere you went,” said Rauh. “So we are part of what makes Cannery Row unique to visitors.”