gearing up and getting custome s s to shop local this holiday season. we'll show you what you can do to get your community to support this shop small movement in this special edition of "your business." small businesses are revitalizing the economy, and american express open is here to help. that's why we're proud to

present "your business" on msnbc. hi, there, everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg, and welcome to a special edition of "your business." we're here on main street in niac, new york, where merchants are getting ready for small business saturday. with a kickoff to the holiday season so close, they have their marketing and promotion plans in high gear. they're banding together to spread the world about november 30th, small-business saturday, where they'll be doing everything from offering extended business hours to special discounts. we were here a few weeks ago to talk to some of the retailers. what we found again and again is the community here goes out of their way to support local stores. even though there are plenty of malls and big box stores nearby.

this is niac, new york. for a village of one square mile, it packs in a lot of culture in small town charm. 25 miles north of new york city, on the hudson river, but about three miles away from here is one of the biggest shopping malls in the entire country. so what are retailers doing? especially as the holiday shopping season kicks off, to get people to come here instead of there? >> jenn laird white, the mayor of the spectacular village of nyack. >> the mall is here, one of the biggest in the country. how do you entice people to come here instead of going there? >> the one thing we have is tremendous amounts of charm. you can shop in our quaint shops and actually stop and get an amazing meal owned by somebody local who is kooging with local food. it's really just a much more plent experience.

i always joke, but it's true. i'm wearing almost entirely things purchased in nyack, and people have that commitment of going to our local vendors when they k avoiding the mall when they can. >> do people here work together to talk each other occupy? >> you go to gypsy doughnuts, and dave understands that his business is only going to succeed if the businesses around him succeed. we all get that. and so we all work hard for each other. >> david, gypsy doughnut and espresso bar. proudly in nyack's downtown for two years. we have a responsibility to make the whole of nyack, to get the brand more visible. for me, if there's another coffee shop next to me, down the street from me, that's not competition. the mall, that's taucompetition. >> saying another coffee shop isn't competition to you seems very gracious. >> people may go to my coffee shop one day and another coffee shop another day, but they're still going to go to a coffee

shop. i don't feel that people going to another store is competition for me. look -- >> as long as it's in nyack. >> that's right, because i want people to come back here. their first coffee of the day could be down the street, the second here, i don't care, ozlong as they're staying here. that benefits me and the other merchants as well. >> owner of the gallery of metal and stone. 20 yoears in nyack. >> do you do a lot of shopping local? when you shop, will you be up and down the street? >> yes, i do. we try to be here for each other, and if someone can't find something here, i'll tell them to go to the jewelry store down the block. if they can't find it here, why shouldn't they find it in another shop in town. >> jack, 38 years in nyack. >> a book store is kind of the quintessential store that has disappeared from main streets across america. how have you survived? >> i think it's basically because i get here early in the

morning and work and stay here until late at night. that's how it works. >> no, that's not how it works. >> yes. >> you're very casual about your success. >> but that's how it works. really, you have to be there. you have to, you know, pay attention to customers. be part of the fabric of the community. and go to meetings. and you know, people have to know who you are. >> so do you think because you have a personal relationship, you know these people in this community, because of that, they come here instead of buying their books online? >> it's one of the reasons why they will come here. they're still going to buy things online. you can't take that away from the equation. however, we're about alternative. >> eight years on main street. >> you started a nyack art walk that brings people to the downtown area. what was the purpose? >> i wanted to combine art and culture, which is so rich here, with commerce, and a unique idea

not to have anything on the street except the people walking, and bringing them into the stores. therefore, they discover a shop that they've never been in. if they were coming to see the artists, if they were coming to shop, now they're getting culture by viewing art. >> does it take that to get people downtown, at least for the first time to get them shopping here? something other than just the stores? >> i think it helps a lot. because if you keep creating excitement, then people want to come and jump on the bandwagon. you know, and see what's going on. >> maria louisa's boutique, 26 years in nyack. >> are you doing anything for small saturday? >> i'm going to offer a percentage off gift cards online. it was successful last year. additionally in the store, we have events. our wish list program we're going to kick off on that day. they select items, we take care of noting what the items are,

color, size, et cetera, and any purchase made prior to one week before christmas, the purchaser also gets a 10% discount. >> is this community doing anything as a whole for small business saturday? >> there's a bunch of event planned, but i will tell you, we're a community committed to small businesses all the time. we are always trying to find ways to boost business. it's definitely been a struggle, but it's one i think we're winning. >> around the country, small business owners are coming up with really interesting ways to get people to shop local and keep the spirit of small business saturday alive all year round. we recently met up with a group of business owners from portland, oregon, who have found a way to get customers by sharing them with each other. and in an innovative program called supportland. >> about 35 new customers a

month. >> nine new customers a month. >> 77 new customers per month. >> jesse, stacey, and brandon are part of an innovative group of small business owners located in portland, oregon, called supportland. >> we really make sure we deliver, and what we deliver them is customers. >> katrina and her husband michael are founders of portland-based supportland. a collaborative program for locally owned businesses. >> they get new customers every month. we tell them how many customers. right now, the average is 18 to 24 a months. then they put a reward up. >> supportland is a rewards program for locally owned businesses. >> after three years of growth, supportland is starting to make an impact. >> there's 150 businesses, and just over 60,000 active users on supportland. >> supportland is a new kind of consumer loyalty card. it's a single card that customers use for shopping in

any of the program's locally owned member stores. each time they make a purchase, the store swipes their cards to give them points, and shoppers collect those points to exchange for rewards from any of the network shops. >> do you have your supportland card today? >> for the businesses, there's a cost to join. however, for the members, it's completely free. all you do is you earn points by shopping at local businesses. as simple as that. keep the card in your wallet and look for the logo on the door. >> jennifer is a hard-core supportland shopper. she says the program appeals to her for two reasons. the first -- reward points. >> i have earned more points here than i care to admit. >> and she's redeemed the points for rewards like this bag she's carrying. but for many consumers like jennifer, supportland is about something more than just the points. >> the goal is to support the small business. >> the rewards are important, as more of like a hook, you know, like a game. it makes it fun.

but our customers are not in it for the rewards. they just want an excuse to get out there and support local. >> jesse burke, owner of posey's cafe, agrees. >> they feel like they're bigger. it's not a posie's loyalty card. >> it's not like the 1920s or something when independent businesses were pitted against each other. >> according to katrina, supportland serves several key functions for the local business owners. the first is consciousness raising. >> our businesses collaborate with each other because they understand that they're not competing against another independent business. they're competing against amazon, target, walmart. their job is to keep a customer local. because if you keep that customer local, that revenue will come back to you somehow. >> our neighbors next door, they, by all rights, should be our competitors. they are right next door, open for lunch, and it just seems to

me that when we do well, they do well, and vice versa. >> once they recognized this, they start to see value in collaborating. and this is where the supportland card really kicks things up. >> supportland collects metrics. every time a customer swipes their card, and we offer them back to our customers. >> a number of new customers, and the retention rate of the customers, the retention rate of existing customers. >> and we tell them what their market crossover is. what other three businesses they have the highest market cross over with. that market crossover peopiece with an eye for them to collaborate. >> this is what traditionally gives local chains a big advantage over nments. now, independents like stacey and jesse can get the same kind of metrics which they're using to dlcollaborate and grow.

>> this toy store in portland, stacey is the owner, and she looked at the metrics and saw she the market kraufcrossover w posey's cafe, which isn't next door. >> she sent an e-mail that said, hey, you have the same customers. they're swiping the card at both your establishments. let's connect up. >> she reached out to me to see if we wanted to do a campaign. >> we plug each other's stores, we put it on facebook, if you shop here this month, you get a reward at posie's. >> if they purchase a birthday cake here, they get a discount there. >> we're sharing in the discount, and our customer doesn't have to go outside of that. >> we're going to be more profitable together. our voice is bigger, our market share is bigger. they understand that. government officials in all 50 states and washington, d.c.

including president obama have officially recognized small business saturday. i recently spoke with acting small business administrator jean hewlett to ask her why it's so important for us to support independently-owned businesses in our communities. so, small business saturday has gained so much traction over the last three years. why do you think it's gotten this wide adoption? >> i think everybody enjoys supporting their local communities, and shopping small is fabulous. you get the best products and services and reinvest in your own communities and have a great experience at the same time. >> to be honest, there are a lot of big box stores that offer great deals. people are already talking about black friday and stores opening on thursday, so what do small businesses have? what do we need to tell people out there to say why it's important to support your community? >> well, you're supporting your neighbors, you're supporting your community. you're reinvesting in your own

economy. it's wonderful to shop at a store that you know you're contributing, maybe your son's coach or your daughter's teacher. they have a relationship with that business and you're reinvesting in your community and making a fun connection. you get great products as well. great products and services supported by your local community. do you think most people understand how important this is. in my neighborhood, for instance, we have a toy store. it's not always convenient for me to go to the toy store, but i think, i don't want the toy store to go away, so it's worth walking the extra four blocks for me, but that's a process i have to think through. do you think most people get that? >> you know, i think it's worth repeating. two thirds of all net new jobs are created by small businesses and 50% of american workers either work for or own a small business. that's a huge percentage of our economy, and that's part of the economy we want to sustain and grow. i think it's important that we reinfusis the message.

i think we know we enjoy the small stores. when we realize it's such a big part of the economy, it's important for us to get the word out. >> this idea of what would you town look like if there were no small businesses, i met with a bunch of book sellers. we thought about this as a marketing campaign, some sort of viral video of this small business going out of business and this small business going out of business, and then you have a main street with nothing on it anymore. >> that's very true. on small business saturday, i'll be going to a local book store in my home community of portland, maine. i can't tell you how rewarding it is to go to the book store, walk around the other shops, see the christmas tree, be there with the families, and know we're supporting the community that's going to be there year after year. it's a fabulous opportunity just to get the word out there. sba guarantees loans for all small businesses, but a lot are the main street businesses we want to make sure are still available to our communities. >> thank you very much. again, we encourage everyone to

shop small on november 30th. >> my pleasure. thanks for helping promote it. when you think about getting people to shop local, you should be considering how to reach people specifically in your surrounding area. so here now are five suggestions for low-cost local advertising courtesy of the nfib. one, list on local business directories. set up online accounts on sites like yelp and yahoo local. these guides help people nearby find you and get reviews from previous customers. two, submit press releases. let your community newspaper and business magazines know when something happens, like you win an award or reach a milestone. three, drive your message home. make your car an advertising vehicle by promoting your business with bumper stickers, decals, or signage. four, donates a prize to a local radio station for give aways or contests. you'll get on-air exposure and possibly a mention on their website, too. and five, enter a float in a

parade. you'll be associated with community spirit and give your business some brand recognition. coming up, the spirit of small business saturday shouldn't end at midnight on november 30th. reba has some ideas for getting people to shop local all year round. and the inspirational story of wendell pierce, who is spoersing the shop local movement in his beloved new orleans by opening supermarkets in areas hard hit by katrina. ♪ ♪ you get your coffee here. you get your hair cut here. you find that certain thing you were looking for here, but actually you get so much more. when you shop at these small local businesses, you support all the things that make your community great.

the money you spend here, stays here. in this place you call your neighborhood. small business saturday is november 30th. get out and shop small. the shop local movement has inspired many people who believe supporting their local stores help chemotheir communities vibrant. what happens if you live in an environment that doesn't have a place to shop? that was the place in new orleans where many people had to travel miles just to get fresh fruit and groceries. that is until one entrepreneurial actor came to the rescue. >> he's played a cop in the

wire, and a musician in treme. now, wendell pierce is a high profile foodie and food centric new orleans. a real life role bringing much needed action to parts of his home town. launching a chain of grocery and convenience stores. >> i'm glad they have those things in here. >> in places where fresh food can be hard to find. >> i said to my partners, it's an opportunity to do well and do good. so let's go into the grocery store business. that's how sterling farms was born. this is my house where i grew up. >> after katrina flooded his wi childhood home, the actor got busy rebuilding pontchartrain park. among the country's first middle-class enclaves for blacks, but critical services like grocery stores remain elusive, a glaring problem pierce wants to solve, adding scores of jobs in the process. >> he's a roll up your sleeves kind of leader. he's not your typical celebrity

pretty face who threw money at a deal. >> sterling farms is opening in what is called a food desert. a neighborhood where it's over a mile to the nearest supermarket where there is a lack of private transportation. he's addressing that too. >> do you need a ride home with your groceries? >> reporter: free rides for those spending at least $50. >> that's why we need private enterprises like wendell pierces and his partner to fill the gap, to move into neighborhoods where there is demand for food, but nobody supplying it. >> for a store to be right here in this neighborhood down the street from me, i'm very excited. >> reporter: a simple goal for a complex issue. >> the most important thing to me is creating the relationship with the community, creating economic engine and opportunity for them to have access to a decent grocery store. >> reporter: a shopping success so far. ron mott, nbc news, new orleans. actor wendell pierce joins me in the studio now.

you can see him on the michael j. fox show on nbc. thanks for taking time to join us here. >> thank you. >> really appreciate it. >> good to be here. >> congratulations on what you've done. >> thank you. thank you. >> it is really amazing. and what strikes me is that you found this opportunity, these food deserts, right? and clearly other people know about this and just didn't think the demand was there. you looked at it and said, no, there is demand. >> it came from the response to katrina. my community was destroyed. we started to rebuild houses, encouraging people to come back. then i started to realize the commercial districts weren't coming back as well. so i put out, you know, a call to action and thought that once we showed and demonstrated the population was coming back, american industry would gladly try to tap into that marketplace. and i started to realize there was so many areas and not just because of our disaster, but for whatever reasons, american industry was risk averse and they weren't coming in and i

thought that's not true. i know these communities. i know how they are populated by people, they have demonstrated loyalty to your product and brand and traveled a distance to get to your store to demonstrate that and they ask you come into their communities and still those business were sitting on the sidelines. >> you talk about being a part of the community. not just coming in there putting down your store and then just getting out and selling them food. you're becoming part of the whole fabric. >> you are creating an economic engine, one. you are coming in and giving, you know, first source hiring, people from the community, get an opportunity to work at your store. the other thing is -- >> but did you do a lot of research? >> oh, yeah. >> you did a lot of research. >> i'm not that actor, oh, i'm an actor, here is a vanity project. i want to open a grocery store, i'll see you downtown. >> this isn't a nonprofit. >> i'm a capitalist. i'm a capitalist. but i'm the true sense of a capitalist. i think we have gotten away from it. the more people have access to opportunity, the more people who have access to education, the

more ideas, the more growth. you know, sometimes people look at capitalism as a finite thing, you know. there is a finite amount of wealth and i got to hold on to mine and hoard and only my kids get this education and only this area will get commercial development and they don't realize that it is about opportunity and growth for everyone. and if you look at our underserved communities in america, we're sitting on the sideline. >> you also did some stuff that made it work for the community. some people couldn't get there, so now you provide, you provide a car service. >> we have a sterling shuttle. we know in our community, so many people take public transportation to get to the store outside of their community and have to travel back on it. one thing we said that if you make it to our store, and we will give you a ride home. first come, first serve basis. you spend $50 worth of -- you spend $50 on your groceries, we give you a ride home on the sterling shuttle. and people have responded to that. not only is it a great service,

it connects you with the community. it bodes well with your relationship with the community. >> people are driving around -- >> you couldn't get a better marketing tool. >> best of luck to you. thank you very much for coming on. >> thank you very much, j.j. to get more ideas for you for small business saturday, we went to above then to talk to local merchants there about what they're doing to get people to shop local. >> this year for small business saturday, our strategy is going to involve getting people who follow us on all of our social media networks like instagram and twitter and facebook to use promo codes for discounts with hash tags telling everyone that we're participating again in small business saturday. >> for small business saturday we're going to take advantage of the traffic that is going to be going through maverick square in east boston on the t line. we're going to entice them to come to our shops, and sit down and have a cup of coffee or use us as a meeting place where they go to downtown crossing. >> small business saturday is

one of the important days for all of us small businesses. i really try and shop local all year long and encourage other vendors and merchants in the area to shop with me, because if you don't support each other, then we have a much harder time. as you know, a rising tide lifts all boats and us small businesses, individually, we're small, collectively, we're huge and we mack a big impact on the economy of the united states. for the past three years, many small businesses across the country have been participating in small business saturday and customers are responding. so why not try and keep that excitement alive all year round? i spoke to the ceo of grow biz media, a company that specializes in covering entrepreneurship, to hear some smart strategies about how to keep your customers coming back. so what is so neat about this is small business saturday becomes this event. there is all this excitement about it, which gets people thinking, okay, i'm going to go to my local retailer on that day

to go shop because everyone is talking about it. so you have some ideas about how to create that same kind of excitement year round, and one of them is to create an event. >> it can be a fun event or it can be a serious event. you can put on a workshop in your business. around shopping smart, or safety or whatever else is concerning, not just your store or your industry, but your town, because, remember, you're trying to bring local people in. >> you have to make this a big deal so that people think it is a big deal. so you'll have to decorate in some way or do something to show. >> yes. if it's something festive, you can have balloons. it depends on your business or banners. if it is something more serious, it is just about decorating appropriately. part of that is making it comfortable for your customers to shop with you. you know, to -- or to -- think about who your customers are, what time of day they generally come to your store, and are they -- are they young women, do

they have kids, is there something to entertain the kid with, just make your store a welcoming environment. >> got it. and another reason people go to stores on small business saturday is becauseing discountn do that throughout the year, but not one off discounts, but discounts that are around something that you've created as an event. >> exactly. i think the one residual effect from the great recession is everybody is value minded. everybody is thinking they want a deal. so think about what you can build, something around. i mean, the holidays are obvious. small business saturday is pretty obvious. and, i mean, the big holidays are obvious. you can do, you know, make your own welcome to spring or welcome to fall or, you know, a seasonal thing, you can do it based on some town history. >> you talk about being community minded and so there may be something going on in your community that you can support, whether it is the

little league team, you know, first day playing softball or baseball or something like that. >> exactly. i think part of being a local business is showing that you're a local business, and showing that you're more involved in the community and going online. somebody can maybe get that online or at a big box store, but there is not that personal connection to the community that you're going to offer. >> all right, well, so great to see you. i would say the last tip is, there is so much excitement about small business saturday that if you are a retailer, collect the information of your customers so that indeed when you follow the rest of your tips throughout the rest of the year, you can let people know about them. >> exactly. >> great seeing you. thanks. thanks, everyone, so much for joining me here today from nyack, new york. if you missed anything from today's show, all you have to do is head over to our website. it's openforum.com/yourbusiness. you'll find all of today's segments, plus some web exclusive content to help your small business grow.

and you can also follow us on twitter. it's @msnbcyourbiz. next week, one small business gives up on contracts with some of the biggest names in retail. we'll tell you why this company, which opened up a factory overseas to work with big box stores, ended up closing that facility and is now focusing on customers of all sizes. until then, don't forget to shop local on november 30th. i'm j.j. ramberg. remember, we make your business our business. ♪ ♪ you get your coffee here. you get your hair cut here. you find that certain thing you were looking for here, but actually you get so much more. when you shop at these small local businesses, you support all the things that make your community great.

the money you spend here, stays here. in this place you call small business saturday is november 30th. get out and shop small. a major breakthrough with iran, but will it last? after eight years in office, mahmoud ahmadinejad left the presidency of iran this summer, in august. he was widely viewed by the west as that country's most divisive president since the revolution that created the islamic republic in 1879. while feared by the west during his ten yeariuretenure, he was mocked. in austere diplomatic venues, during his rambling speeches before the u.n. gener