Running a small business is not for the faint of heart, especially after HR and economic challenges after the pandemic. Despite obstacles, entrepreneurship is growing: US average 430,000 latest business applications monthly in 2024 – 50% greater than in 2019.
A busy holiday shopping season, with average purchases occurring in November and December 19% of total retail sales for the yrcontinues, and an especially essential event for small business owners will happen on November 30: fifteenth Annual American Express Small Business Saturday.
“American Express founded Small Business Saturday in 2010 in the wake of the U.S. financial crisis to help increase consumer spending at small businesses when they need it most,” says Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express. “Since that day, this day has created a movement and really made an impact, with consumers reporting that they have spent over $200 billion at small businesses.”
The commitment to supporting small businesses coincides with a growing desire to buy small: 85% of consumers, including 88% of Millennials and Gen Z, say they are prone to shop small this holiday season, survey finds 2024 American Express Sklep Mały® Impact study. Additionally, among millennials and Gen Z consumers who plan to buy on Small Business Saturday, 52% say they plan to spend more this yr than last yr.
This yr, American Express will rejoice Small Business Saturday with a special performance by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Noah Kahan and a pop-up holiday market in Charleston, South Carolina, boasting a vibrant small business community.
American Express may even donate $1 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation every time you utilize your Amex card small shops on November 30 to assist rebuild small businesses affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Additionally, each time an Amex® Cardmember makes a purchase using an eligible Card at a U.S. small business on Shop Small Map® On November 30, American Express will donate $1 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to assist rebuild small businesses affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Entrepreneur sat down with Daneen and Pascal Lewis, the married co-founders Wine Gallery in Harlem in New York to learn about their company and how Small Business Saturday is helping it grow.
Photo: Courtesy of Harlem Wine Gallery
They were inspired to begin their very own business because they often needed to travel to the city center to purchase the wine they liked to drink: organic, natural wines from small producers. The couple opened Harlem Wine Gallery in December 2016. Neither co-founder had a background in entrepreneurship, but their experience in fashion (Pascal as a makeup artist and Daneen as a fashion stylist) had it prepared them to adapt to a latest environment and work with many several types of people.
“We believe in the type of wine we want to sell.”
Harlem Wine Gallery’s commitment to providing wines from small producers served as the foundation for the entire store, but sticking to that vision was also one of the company’s biggest challenges, Daneen says.
“Five times a day [people might] ask about a specific brand we don’t carry,” he explains, “and if your results aren’t great that day, you say to yourself: Oh, am I doing the right thing? Should I wear this brand? But we don’t believe that. We believe in supporting small producers. We believe in wines that do not contain any flavor additives. We believe in the type of wine we want to sell.”
Today, Harlem Wine Gallery offers the largest number of wines produced by Black winemakers and Black-owned wineries in the New York metropolitan area, in addition to a large number of local New York State wines and natural wines, in accordance with the store’s website.
Harlem Wine Gallery continues to thrive because it was originally conceived. “Every year our revenues grow,” says Daneen, “from 17% to 21%.” Pascal built a tasting room in the back where the company hosts winemaker visits and private events, and there are also free tastings in front of the store on Fridays.
“We are all campaigning on social media.”
The co-founders are also preparing to participate in Small Business Saturday for the third time. Seven other area businesses will join Harlem Wine Gallery in offering a 15% discount to rejoice the fifteenth anniversary of Small Business Saturday. For example, consumers can expect to receive 15% off a case of wine from the Lewises store or 15% off in-store Under the house — then enter a raffle where you might win a signature item, similar to a bottle of wine or fresh pasta.
“We’re really excited about this, because in previous years maybe only two of us had partnered, but now it’s seven or eight companies,” Daneen says. “We will all have uniform posters in our windows and we will all campaign on social media.”
Photo: Courtesy of Harlem Wine Gallery
“[We want] to continually be that dynamic individual who is widely regarded as trustworthy and knowledgeable.”
As the Lewises look to the future of Harlem Wine Gallery, they are happy to see the company continue to build on its original vision and attract new customers along the way.
“[We want] always being that dynamic individual who is widely thought to be trustworthy and knowledgeable, and all those things that give folks that confidence when they walk through the door that: They respect me and I’ll get something that I could not know about, but they are real people and I’d support this business and their recommendations– says Pascal.
A few months ago, Harlem Wine Gallery launched its wine club, which offers subscriptions at three-month intervals, and already most customers are renewing their memberships.
The Lewises attribute much of their company’s success to a hands-on approach that hasn’t modified since the store’s inception.
“We are successful because Pascal and I are present,” says Daneen. “We are here. We operate from day to day. We sweep the sidewalks outside, sell wine inside, deal with customers. We talk to customers about everything, not just wine. It’s a community center and having a presence in your company is extremely important for a small business, [and for] every type of activity.”