Small Business Saturday in Worcester with Jessica Walsh
Photo | Courtesy of Worcester Wares
Jessica Walsh poses in front of the new mural by artist Eamon Gillen in her DCU Center store, wearing an "I Love Worcester" pin.
This Saturday Jessica Walsh will have a party celebrating shopping locally at her business Worcester Wares in downtown Worcester. We chatted with Walsh about the importance of shopping local, especially on this day and during the holiday season, as well as the close-knit nature of the Worcester business community.
What is Worcester Wares and how long have you been involved in retail in the area?
Worcester Wares is a store that sells "Everything Worcester." We have all Worcester-themed items made or designed by over 54 local artists and organizations. We opened our storefront on the back of the DCU Center in August of 2015. We are only 15 months old, but we have grown so much.
We sell Worcester-themed shirts, enamel pins, totes, magnets, stickers, books, art, jewelry, cards, postcards, housewares, ornaments, pet items and so much more. It's amazing how excited everyone is to show some Worcester pride.
How important is Small Business Saturday for local Worcester and Central Mass. retailers?
Small Business Saturday is a movement started by American Express in 2010 to serve as a reminder to think of small businesses and keep you money local, especially during the holiday season. Small Business Saturday acts as the counterbalance to the big box Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping.
What are you doing for Small Business Saturday?
Worcester Wares will have a party that day. We will debut many new items and designs by local artists and putting out all our specialty holiday items and ornaments. We will have holiday treats from Figs & Pigs (who is also having an event that day), giveaways and a few surprises. We will also have a local author Charles Longeway signing his book on The Worcester Catacombs. It should be a very fun day!
What are other retailers in the area doing on Small Business Saturday?
Worcester has quite a few small businesses that like to celebrate the day with fun festivities, deals, new items, food, giveaways and music. I know that Crompton Collective, Seed to Stem, CC Lowell, Grime, Figs & Pigs, and The Worcester Center for Crafts are just a few of the small businesses in Worcester who will be doing something fun that day. Even if a business is not having a special event that day you should still stop in and shop. It's less about the festivities and more about the larger movement of keeping money local.
It seems like there is a strong community among Worcester retailers, can you talk about that?
There is! I know so many small business owners and they have provided unending and valuable support to me in my own venture. There's nothing better than talking to someone who can provide support and advice because they've had the same struggles and have made the same mistakes. This community allows us to learn from each other.
There is always someone who at one point had the same problem and learned the best way to do it by having done it the wrong way, the long way or the more expensive way. We all try and share each other's events, cross-promote and provide support by spreading the word or using each other as vendors in our business.
The deadhorse Hill restaurant is a great example of how small businesses are supporting each other. All of their ingredients are sourced from local farms and vendors. Their staff wears Worcester Wares shirts in their restaurant. People ask them all the time where they are buying those shirts, and they send them my way. I'm so thankful for all of their support and the support from so many other small business owners in this city.
What is your elevator speech to someone regarding shopping local?
My elevator speech always ends up being more of a question, "Why wouldn’t you want to shop local?" Small business owners are your neighbors, friends and the very people who make up the fabric of our community.
Our businesses are a large part of who we are. We are 1,000 percent invested in making it as successful as possible, and a large part of that is making sure that the customers are happy. We go above and beyond because it’s ours. The local establishments are what gives us our character and makes us who we are as a city. Help support us in that effort.
If numbers are more your game: If you spend $100 at a local business, roughly $68 stays in your local economy. If you spend the same at a big box business only $43 stays in the local economy. (Civic Economics Study - Grand Rapids Michigan)
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