WILMINGTON, NC ( WWAY) — Downtown Wilmington is home to more than 300 local businesses from start ups to art galleries but, Hurricane Florence impacted sales for many.
Some business owners say small business Saturday came at the right time.
“It’s awesome,” said Wilmington resident Rob Austin.
Austin ate at Hell’s Kitchen for the first time Saturday. He said he wanted to support local businesses.
President of the Downtown Business Alliance Terry Epsy says independent business owners are the heart beat of Wilmington.
“People here, the visitors, people who have moved here… they’re here because of the charm and the warmth of this community and that means you walk into a restaurant the second time the owner knows your name, ” said Epsy.
Betsy Knowles co-owns theArtWorks downtown near Greenfield Lake.
“We have potters and oil painters, fine art, fashion, fiber art, mosaic, glass, hand blown glass…” said Knowles.
Knowles says art is an economic driver for New Hanover County but, Epsy says Hurricane Florence put a damper on all business revenue.
“The hotel rooms were booked,” said Epsy. “All the construction crews [were] in town so, if people wanted to come to town and spend some money, there was very little opportunity for them to book a hotel room.”
Epsy says local business cannot recover as easily as bigger chains. Small business Saturday is a chance to put money back into local pockets.
“Last thing we want to do is just end up being a tourist driven economy because you lose your character,” said Epsy. “You lose your soul, and I think we’ve got plenty of soul here.”
Small business Saturday started in 2012 to help local communities create jobs, keep tax dollars local, and keep communities diverse. You can make a difference this holiday season by shopping locally.