Albion businesses urge community to ‘shop small’ on Saturday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 November 2020 at 4:39 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: This group helped plan Small Business Saturday in Albion. They are pictured in Tara Thom quilt shop on East Bank Street. Pictured from left include Courtney Henderson (owner of Milk and Honey) and her daughter Lair Alchin, Maureen Bennett (owner of A Lil’ Cottage Chic), Tara Thom (owner of Town and Country Quilt Shop), Beth Schorer, (owner of Beth’s Sewing Box) and Cliff Thom, who assisted in planning the event.

ALBION – Many of Albion’s locally owned businesses are working together in a Small Business Saturday event, urging people to give the local merchants a chance and not spend so much money online with Amazon or through the Big Box stores.

The local stores tomorrow are offering a “shop hop” where people have a chance to win a $100 gift card through members of the Albion Merchants Association. That’s if people get a passport for the event stamped by 10 locations. If they get it stamped by five businesses they have a chance at winning a gift basket.

Many of the stores in the downtown, on Ridge Road and the Arnold Gregory Office Complex will have in-store specials and prizes.

The AMA wants the community to know the stores have been resilient during the pandemic, and together they offer a variety of merchandise and services.

“People say we don’t have anything in Albion but we literally have everything,” said Courtney Henderson, owner of Milk & Honey in Albion, a women’s and children’s clothing boutique.

She is one of the businesses offering discounts for Small Business Saturday, as well as exclusive “swag bags” for the first 10 customers who spend $100.

She is one of the 10 locations on the shop hop. The others include Laura Loxley Vintage Inspired Goods, Town & Country Quilter, The Flying Needle and Thread, Beth’s Sewing Box, The Olde Dogge Inn, How Sweet It Is Bakery (pop up shop at Tinsel), Downtown Browsery, Red Check Rustic and The Backroom – Pretty Sweet Bakery & A Lil’ Cottage Chic.

Saturday’s shop hop will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a country fair at Arnold Gregory’s and Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza will be at Tinsel’s from noon to 5 p.m.