Spokane small businesses compete for holiday shoppers with special deals

SPOKANE — Local businesses are rolling out special promotional campaigns to capture their share of the estimated $1 trillion Americans will spend this holiday season, with Small Business Saturday serving as a crucial battleground for customer loyalty.

The Downtown Spokane Partnership will distribute free swag bags to the first 200 customers who arrive at Auntie’s Bookstore on Small Business Saturday, featuring coupons, discount cards, stickers and other promotional items from downtown merchants. The organization also plans book signings and pop-up shops inside the store.

Wonders of the World, a local retailer, is offering similar incentives to draw customers.

“We have a raffle for two items, each of one for each day, which were retail $600, and they’re being given away for free,” Barclay said.

The promotional push reflects the intense competition small businesses face during the holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation’s projection of $1 trillion in holiday spending represents a significant opportunity for local merchants, but they must compete against major retailers and online platforms for consumer attention.

“It always does bring more customers in on those days,” Barclay said. “And yes, that’s what all Black Friday people are trying to do is, you know, we are all competing to get the customers for the Christmas sales.”

The emphasis on local shopping carries economic implications beyond individual store profits. Campbell stressed the community impact of supporting small businesses during the holiday season.

“You know, supporting small business is so important to keeping those dollars in the community day in and day out,” Campbell said.

For many local retailers, holiday sales represent a disproportionate share of annual revenue. Barclay acknowledged the critical nature of the Christmas shopping period for her business and others in the area.

“Every single retail store in this city counts on Christmas sales to bring in the amount of money they usually get for the year. So yes, we’re counting on it, and I don’t have any doubt,” Barclay said.