IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WLUC) – This week is National Small Business Week, and the Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority is joining in.
For the second year in a row, the Iron Mountain DDA is participating in Small Business Week. It’s a national event hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration. During this week, the DDA is encouraging shoppers to first consider smaller, locally owned shops instead of big box retailers.
“Here in downtown, we just want to recognize all the local small businesses that really make our downtown thrive. So, whether that’s our restaurants, cafes, retail stores or service providers, we have so many amazing downtown businesses. We actually have over 200 and so, together, those businesses are the heart of our downtown,” Iron Mountain DDA Event Coordinator Katherine Mentel said.
Kevin Quick is the owner of The Finer Edge, selling bespoke knives and swords. Quick says when people shop local, it gives him a chance to offer sponsorships.
“When you shop local, the money stays in the community, and it gives me a chance to either sponsor a community event, like Support Your Veterans, we do a lot of those. We do a lot of sponsorship with the American Legion, it gives us the opportunity to give back,” Quick said.
Codell Story owns Body Alchemy, offering a range of massage services. Story says he hopes Small Business Week highlights shops that don’t get enough recognition.
“There are a lot of businesses around town that don’t get the light that they need to shine, so if you see a small business in need, then stop by, strike up a conversation, look at the products that they have and hopefully, help them out,” Story said.
Mentel says when you shop local, most of that money stays local.
“I don’t think people realize just how important small businesses are to our local economy. I believe it’s two-thirds of every dollar spent at a small business locally stays local, and so that’s really a boost to our economy,” Mentel said.
Small Business Week goes until Sunday, May 10.
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