Small Business Saturday in the Black Country

At a time when it seems every shopping centre in the land has become an identikit made up of national chain stories, small businesses stand out as offering something different, with the personal service that can only come from people who have a passion for what they do.

Tomorrow is set to be the busiest shopping day on the high street of the year so far, and it is also the UK's Small Business Saturday. So when you head off to the shops, take a second look at the independent stores. Take a look inside, chat to the people behind the counter – you could well find that special Christmas gift that has been eluding you so far.

And you will be doing your bit to make this a nicer, more interesting place to shop.

Taking the lead in promoting Small Business Saturday in the Black Country this year has been the local branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

FSB Black Country chairman Steve Parker has played a major role in getting events up and running, including a special Small Business Saturday Market in Dudley's Stone Street Square tomorrow that will be a showcase for 20 home-based and micro businesses.

The market is running from 10am to 4pm. Mr Parker said SBS seemed to have passed most people by last year.

"We thought we should try and do something more this year.

"We have already run a week of drop-in business clinics to help micro, start-up and small businesses.

"The market is an opportunity to to show what some of those businesses are doing. There will be stalls selling food, crafts, gifts from newly emerging home-based businesses," said Mr Parker.

He added that the Peter Jones Business Academy would also be taking part to offer advice to would be entrepreneurs from the area.

In Dudley small businesses will also be helped by free parking on borough council car parks – the free parking will also apply on the next two Saturdays as well.

Mr Parker praised Dudley Council for getting involved with Small Business Saturday. "Together we are providing a showcase for some of the fledgling businesses in the borough.

"We have also talked to the existing town centre businesses and explained how the aim is to bring more people in to the town centre and to introduce companies that would not normally be seen in the area."

Jane Lamire, of Winscar Croft, Lower Gornal, is one of those who will have a stall. The 43-year-old business manager started her part-time business Jane from her home two years ago. She makes quilts and flower arrangements.

Councillor Judy Foster, Dudley Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "We are offering these free market stalls to Dudley borough's home based businesses to mark the importance of Small Business Saturday, which celebrates the contribution of small companies in the UK."

Meanwhile in South Staffordshire council bosses have encouraged community members to take part in the launch of Small Business Saturday. Following a hugely successful campaign last year, that saw over 80 local firms involved, South Staffordshire Council and local traders are urging even more people to support their local shops and shop local for a day rather than go into big towns and cities.

Leader of South Staffordshire Council Brian Edwards said: "It is essential that we help our local businesses as much as possible, as often they are the lifeblood of our villages.

"Council members are also being challenged to shop locally for the day, and I will certainly be using my local shops in Kinver to support the scheme.

"The event may just be for one day, but we are hoping people will continue to support their local businesses in the long term."

Local businesses that are taking part in the scheme are detailed on the council's website at http://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/.

Butcher Brian Bates, of Astons Butchers in Brewood Road, Coven, said he hoped local people would come along to a hog roast he is running from 11am to 2pm.

"It is a chance to show them what we have to offer. We will be offering samples of the sausages that we made in a competition with the village school.

"Small Business Saturday is a great chance to showcase our products. It is an excellent campaign and it would be nice to see it run twice a year. Local businesses like ours need using or people are going to lose them.

"We need to put up a fight and show that we can compete with the supermarkets on quality and service."

In Wolverhampton a pop-up market will be held at the railway station as part of a network-wide effort by Virgin Trains to promote small businesses at stations along the length of its West Coast Main Line route.

Similar markets will be held at Stafford and at Birmingham International Station, the stop for the NEC which is hosting the Clothes Show this weekend.

Nicola Griffiths is the pop-up business manager at Virgin Trains. "It was an idea I had that Virgin Trains has supported – using our stations to promote small local businesses as part of our role in the community. Virgin seconded me from my normal job and I have been doing this for 18 months now.

"Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity for small firms to raise their profile. At Wolverhampton we will have four stalls and the business people will have a real platform to reach some of the thousands of people who use our trains every day. We have 17 stations between Rugby and Carlisle and we will have 90 businesses taking part on the day."

One of the local business people taking part in the Wolverhampton pop-up market will be Jordan Bowen, who launched Jacob's Jams and Spices two years ago when he was just 18.

Jordan has based his buisness on 300-year-old recipes passed down through 12 generations of his family. He said: "Small Business Saturday is a great initiative and the chance to run a stall at Wolverhampton railway station is a wonderful opportunity to promote ourselves to their passengers.

"Hopefully people will stop, have a look and buy something. But part of the attraction is the opportunity to link ourselves to a brand as strong as Virgin's. I think it's great that they should use the power of their brand to help small businesses like mine."

In the run-up to Small Business Saturday Wolverhampton Council's business support team has been running a series of daily free advice surgeries for small companies at venues around city. One is taking place at Bilston library today from 10 am until 5pm and another is at the A2B Recruitment Shop in the Mander Centre tomorrow, from 10am until 4pm.

The council is also celebrating the first year in business of city centre delicatessen Polish deli Kabanosl, which opened on December 6 last year after winning the Wolverhampton Portas Pilot competition – Ideas2Reality. Council deputy leader and regeneration chief, Councillor Peter Bilson, said: "We have a good range of small businesses operating successfully across the city which are all contributing to its continued growth.

"Small Business Saturday provides us with a focus to celebrate their success and urge more people to support them. Kabanos is another example of a small enterprise which has gone from strength to strength since it opened a year ago."

Lynn Strzyzewski, aged 48, of Bilston, who runs Buttons Fancy Dress, Cleveland Street, is one of the Wolverhampton traders backing Small Business Saturday and she urged people to support all the city's small shops and traders on the day.

"I have been here for two years and it has been tough to make ends meet even though I'm the only fancy dress shop in the area.

"I think SBS is great national campaign and I'm delighted to be taking part," she added.

Across the Black Country, In Touch With Walsall is a new business networking group set up to support growth of businesses based in the borough, and Caldmore Traders Association said they were particularly proud to pledge their support because the village was bucking both regional and national trends for shoppers to move away from high street to online shopping.

In Touch With Walsall founder, Ali Mahmood, said: "We are proud of the work we do to support and promote small businesses across Walsall. We'd love to see people get behind the small businesses for their Christmas shopping."

Caldmore Traders Association treasurer, Suky Hargun added: "Caldmore village is a thriving and vibrant district with businesses covering a wide range of sectors with something for everyone."

Meanwhile Walsall Council is offering small businesses free stalls at its markets on Saturday for small businesses – three at Walsall Market and 10 at Willenhall.

West Bromwich West MP Adrian Bailey has been doing his bit to support Small Business Saturday at the same time as popping into his local hairdressers. He has been a customer of Tip'n Cut Barber Shop, in Owen Street, Tipton, for a number of years.

Owner Deborah Pearson, aged 48, set the gentlemen's hairdressing business up in 2000 and has never looked back. She is supported by Rebecca Millington who has worked alongside her for the past five years.

The pair look after more than 100 local male customers a week - a figure likely to rise with Christmas coming up as this is Tip'n Cut's busiest time of the year.

Deborah said: "This was the first business I ever opened and of course there has been challenging times along the way, particularly with the recession. However, everybody needs their hair cutting and I have always believed if you really look after your customers, they will look after you."

Adrian Bailey said: "Tip'n Cut is a perfect example of how a small business should be run.

"There are hundreds of small and medium retailers operating all over the Black Country just like Tip'n Cut Barbers and Small Business Day is the perfect opportunity for them to showcase their products and attract potential customers from the local community."

For more details on Small Business Saturday go to https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/ or follow @SmallBizSatUK on Twitter.

Research for Direct Line for Business found that nearly half (47 per cent) of people are set to support the campaign spending an average of £24.39 at small local non-chain and independent enterprises across the UK.

But in the West Midlands only 37 per cent – the lowest regional rate in the country – are predicted to be shopping locally and the spend will average at £24.15.

So prove them wrong. Get out there tomorrow and, instead of a chain store, pop into an independent local shop instead. They are part of the lifeblood of our local community and deserve our support.