• National Small Business Saturday Nov. 28
• Many Detroit businesses offering both online and safe, in-person buying options
• Detroit small business community hurt by COVID-19, need holiday sales more than ever
• New COVID-19 guidelines remind shoppers to be safe, wear masks

DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has a special message this holiday season, “Shop local.” Duggan, along with Detroit Means Business (DMB) Vice President Kaiwan Bowman and Kevin Johnson, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) president and CEO, are supporting a citywide push to drive shoppers to neighborhood businesses – safely in-person or online – on Nov. 28, Small Business Saturday.

“COVID-19 has had a terrible impact on small businesses everywhere,” said Duggan. “Now, more than ever, it’s important that we support our city’s local entrepreneurs. With the help of Motor City Match and other programs, we now have an incredible variety of quality neighborhood businesses across the city that can satisfy any Christmas shopping list.”

Founded a decade ago by American Express, Small Business Saturday is celebrated each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, after Black Friday and before Cyber Monday.

“Whether online or in-person, COVID-19 has made the ‘Shop Local Detroit’ message more critical than ever,” said Bowman. “With Small Business Saturday fast approaching, there’s no better time to support our community retailers throughout Detroit’s commercial corridors.”

DMB is driving the City’s overarching effort to promote Small Business Saturday with local business owners and holiday shoppers. This includes providing resources to help business owners leverage online selling, which economists expect to increase 35 percent over 2019. Many organizations including DMB, the City of Detroit, DEGC and Bedrock are using social media to highlight the great products and services available locally.

Detroit small businesses have been hit especially hard by the continuing COVID pandemic. More than $11 million in grant funds have been awarded to some 1,700 Detroit small businesses through the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, Michigan Small Business Restart Program and Economic Development of the City of Detroit. Nearly 80 percent of grant recipients are minority-run businesses, half are women-owned, and 62 percent are owned by City of Detroit residents.

“Whatever your gift-giving needs, make Detroit’s neighborhood businesses your shopping destination – safely in-person or online,” said Johnson. “Neighborhood businesses offer unique products and services that respect and reflect the rich culture of Detroit’s communities. As more of us are spending time in our homes, consider giving gifts that improve a person’s remote learning, working and overall quality of life. All of the season’s hidden gems can be found at Detroit small businesses.”

Nefertiti Harris, owner of Textures by Nefertiti in Midtown, will be offering Small Business Saturday promotions at her natural hair salon Nov. 28. She also works with DMB to help guide the development of resources for the local small business community.

“All businesses need support this season, not just retailers,” said Harris. “You can’t wrap a salon treatment, but you can still support the business. There are thousands of professional services that would make great gifts – snow removal, childcare, exercise classes, spa services, life coaching and shoe repair. And don’t forget our local restaurants – they continue to be hard hit by the rising number of COVID cases, too.”

For more information, visit degc.org/small-business-saturday or detroitmeansbusiness.org.

About Detroit Means Business
Detroit Means Business is a coalition of more than 60 public, private, and philanthropic leaders formed in March to provide emergency resources to Detroit small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Since that time, DMB has helped provide PPE to 6,000 small businesses, responded to 4,600 individual requests for assistance through the Customer Experience Center, provided no-cost one-on-one coaching and financial support, and provided safe reopening guides and videos. DMB is being formed as a low profit limited liability company (L3C) and is a subsidiary of Detroit Economic Growth Association.

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