By Christine Davis Program Manager Carlsbad Village Association
“I haven’t been to the Village for three years!” “Wow, I had no idea there were so many new restaurants open in the Village.” “I haven’t had this much fun shopping in a long time.” If I had a dollar for every time I heard statements like these, I’d be rich. Yes, Carlsbad Village is all that and more!
With two new restaurants, two cafes and two wine bars opened within just the last five months, along with seven new independently-owned stores just since summer, Carlsbad Village is bubbling with energy. But the great thing is that even with all of this new energy, the Village still offers a comfortable, relaxed experience full of character and personal customer service that is a far cry from that of a hectic, frenzied, and often generic mall. That’s why the merchants and service providers in the Village are looking forward to Small Business Saturday on November 26 so that we can show you just how special we are.
Small Business Saturday has been called a shopping holiday. It is really a movement of sorts, started six years ago by American Express, to celebrate the smaller, independently-owned businesses that are the fabric of downtowns all across America. Smack dab between Black Friday, a day where mall shoppers brave the big-box stores for early morning bargains, and Cyber Monday, where shoppers use the power of the internet to buy goods from faraway places from business owners they don’t know, Small Business Saturday reminds us of the importance of shopping small and supporting our local economy.
You’ve probably heard it before, that behind every small business there’s a story worth knowing. Well, in Carlsbad Village, that certainly rings true. There’s the band of brothers who opened up an eclectic surf shop on State Street to augment their already wildly successful, nationwide skate and surfboard manufacturing business. There’s the young professional woman with a passion for retail who bought three established boutiques in the Village and now employs 15 people and is growing by leaps and bounds. And there’s the café owner from Oceanside who purposefully chose Carlsbad over several other nearby locations to open his second café and grow his unique brand. There are literally hundreds of small business success stories in Carlsbad Village, each one as inspiring as the next.
While the merchants and service providers in the Village do hope to have the opportunity to impress you come Small Business Saturday on November 26, they really do hope to see you more than just then. Whether it’s a mid-week night out for burgers and gelato with the family, a girl’s day out at the spa or a holiday shopping excursion, or whether it’s for an engagement ring, a new pair of shoes, a dance lesson, a haircut or a teeth cleaning, we hope you will embrace the “Shop Small, Shop Local” movement and consider Carlsbad Village your go-to place for absolutely everything all year long!