KINGSVILLE, Tx — This week marks the end of Thanksgiving and the start of Christmas season. That means you’ve probably already started making plans on who's bringing what foods to dinner or who's getting who a gift. But have you thought about where you'll be getting those gifts from?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here and you might have seen the deals have gotten started. But before you start hunting for those deals, consider shopping local during Small Business Saturday.
David Thibodeaux is the co-owner of the Kate Apothecary. While many might be looking forward to Thanksgiving or Black Friday, he’s looking forward to the day after that.
“A lot of people are in town visiting their relatives and looking for something to do,” Thibodeaux said.
That day is called Small Business Saturday.
“It’s a great way to support your local economy and help these small businesses which have to compete against big box stores like Amazon. It helps put the tax dollar back in the community for things like roads and drainage,” Thibodeaux said.
He said shopping in person has it’s benefits for the customer.
“Not only are you not paying shipping, which has become really really high, you’re getting the product immediately and can bring it home.”
But Thibodeaux said the benefit goes beyond just the shopper, especially this year. This year, he said things have slowed down.
“We don’t know if it was because it was an election year, there were a lot of variables. You know, I try to go out and speak to the other businesses to find out how their season is going and it’s kind of the same thing. We do know being in retail, there are going to be peaks and valleys. You just have to remind yourself of that. You will have good days and bad days and it will all work out in the end hopefully,” Thibodeaux said.
But he adds that there are never truly times of discouragement, at least not with the appreciation and feedback from his community.
“I told Olga you know what, I want to go say hi to those guys. I just to say hi to them because they are our friends,” Fina De La Paz, a friend of Thibodeaux's said.
His shop is closed on Mondays, but Fina and her friend Olga Trevino swung by anyway.
“This is an original business store for Kingsville and we appreciate this kind of store. It’s not easy to start a store in Kingsville at all,” De La Paz said.
Olga Trevino said she gets all her gifts at the Kate Apothecary and both ladies encourage others to do the same, especially this weekend.
“I wish there were more citizens here in Kingsville to appreciate them, to appreciate this business. I see people come here and I hope they come back,” De La Paz said.
While many local shops might be closed on Thanksgiving, they will be back on Friday and Saturday with open arms ready to help everyone get their holiday shopping done and out of the way while also helping the community.
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