>> small business saturday is coming up on november 30th. coast to coast from here on main street in new york to portland, oregon small business owners are gearing up and getting customers to shop local this holiday season. we'll show you what you can do to get your community to support this shop small movement on this very special edition of "your business." small businesses are

revitalizing the economy. american express open is here to help. that's why we're proud to present "your business" on msnbc. hi, there everyone. welcome to a special edition of "your business." we're here on main street in nyack, new york. with the kick off to the holidays so close they have their marketing and promotional plans in high gear. they are banding together to spread the word about 30th, small business saturday. we were here just a few weeks ago to talk to some of the retailers and what we found again and again is that 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 nyack, new york. for a village of one square mile it packs in a lot of culture and small town charm. we're 25 miles north of new york city right on the hudson river. three miles away from here is one of the biggest shopping malls in the entire country. what are retailers doing especially as the holiday shopping season kicks off to come here instead of there. the mall is so close. one of the biggest malls in the entire country. when it's holiday shopping time how do you entice people to come here instead of here. >> one thing we have that the mall doesn't is tremendous amount of charm. you can shop in our shops and stop and get an amazing meal by someone who is local cooking local food.

it's a much more pleasant experience. i joke, i'm wearing almost entirely things purchased in nyack and people have that kind of commitment to going to our local vendor, avoiding the enamel when they can. >> do people work together to talk each other up. >> nyack is a savvy place. you go to gypsy doughnuts and dave understands his business will only succeed if the business around him succeeds. we get that. >> i've been proudly in nyack downtown for two years. we each have a responsibility to get nyack 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 is competition. >> saying another coffee shop isn't competition to you seems very gracious. >> people may go to my coffee

one day and another coffee shop another day but still go to a coffee shop. i don't feel people going to another store is a competition for me. >> as long as it's in nyack. >> that's right. i want people to come back here. their first coffee of the day can be down the street. the second cup of coffee. it doesn't bother me as long as it's here. >> identify been 20 years in nyack. >> do you do your shopping in nyack. >> yes. we try to be there for each other and believe it or not if somebody can't find something here i'll tell them to go the jewelry store down the block. if they can't find it here why shouldn't they be able to find it another shop in the town. >> 38 years in nyack. >> a book store is the kind of quintessential store that's disappeared from main street

america. how have you survived? >> basically because i get here early in the morning and work and stay here until late at night. that's how it works. >> no. you're very casual about your success. >> that's how it works. really. you have to be there. you have to pay attention to customers. be part of the fabric of the community. go to meetings. 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 are still going to buy things online. you can't take that away from the equation. however we're that alternative. >> p. ross, eight years on main street. >> you started a nyack art walk. what was the purpose behind that? >> i wanted to combine art and

culture which is so rich here with commerce and unique idea not to have anything on street except the people walking and bringing them into the stores. therefore, they discover a shop that they have never been in when they were coming to see the artist, if they were coming to shop, they are getting culture by viewing art. >> does it take that to get people downtown at least for the first time to get them shopping here? >> i think it helps a lot because if you keep creating excitement, then people want to come and jump on the band wagon, you know, and see what's going on. >> 26 years in nyack. >> are you doing anything for small business saturday? >> i'm going to offer a percentage off gift cards online. it was very successful last year. in addition in the store we'll have events, we have our wish

list program. we take note of the items, color, size, et cetera and any purchase made prior to one week before christmas the purchaser also gates 10% discount. >> is this community doing anything as a whole for small business saturday. >> there's a bunch of events plan. we're committed to small business all the time. we're always trying to find ways to boost business because definitely been a struggle built it's one 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 found a way to get customers by sharing them with each other. in an innovative program called support land.

about 35 new customers a month. >> nine new customers a month. >> 77 new customers per month. >> jesse, stacy and brandon are part of an innovative group of small business owners located in portland, oregon called support land. >> we really make sure we deliver and what we deliver them is customers. >> katrina and her husband michael are founders of portland based support land, a collaborative marketing program for locally owned businesses. >> they get new customers every month. we tell them how many new customers. right now the average is 18 to 24 new customer as month. then they put this reward up. >> portland is a rewards program for locally owned businesses. >> after three years of growth, support land is starting to make an impact. >> there's 150 businesses, and just over 60,000 active users on support land. >> support land is a new kind of consumer loyalty card.

it's a single card that customers use for shopping in any of the programs 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. >> for the businesses there's a cost to join. however, for the members it is completely free. and all you do is you earn points by shopping at local businesses. it's as simple as that. keep the card in your wallet and look for this portland logo on the door. >> jennifer is a hard core support land shopper. she says the program apeels to her for two reasons. first reward points. >> i've earned more reward points here than i care to admit. >> she's redeemed them for this bag like she's carrying. but support land is something more than just the points. >> the goal is to support the small businesses.

>> the rewards are important like a hook, like a game it makes it fun. our customers are not in it for rewards they just want an excuse to go out there and support local. >> jesse who owns a bakery agrees. >> they feel they are part of something bigger. it's not a posie's loyalty card. >> it's not like the 1920s. >> support land serves several key functions for the local business owners. first conscienceness raising. >> we collaborate with each other because they are not competing against another independent business. they are competing against walmart, target, amazon. they want to keep a customer local. if you keep that customer local that revenue will come back to you. >> our neighbors next door 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 recognize this they start to see value in collaborating and this is where the support land card really kicks things up. you >> support land be collect metrics every time a user uses their card or checks in on their mobile app then we offer it back. >> a number new customers and the retention rate of those customers, retention rate of existing customers. >> we tell them what their market crossover, what other three businesses they have. that piece is with an eye for them to collaborate. >> according to michael and katrina this kind of information is what traditionally gives national chains a big advantage over locally owned independents. now thanks to support land independents can get the same kind of metrics which they are

using to collaborate and grow. >> one example with this is that spiel work toys, stacy is the owner. she looked at herme tricks and saw she saw crossover with posies cafe. >> katrina sent the e maim hey you have the same customer, they are swiping both cards let's connect up. >> she reached out to me to see if we wanted to do some sort of campaign. >> we plug each other's stores. if you shop here this month you get a reward at posie's. >> if they purchased a birthday cake they would get a discount. >> we share our customer and the customer doesn't have to go outside of that. they get it. we'll be more profitable. our market share is bigger. our voice is louder. 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 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? >> well, 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 big box stores that offer great deals and people are talking about black friday and stores opening on thursday. what do small businesses have? what do we need to tell people to say why it's important to support your community. >> you're supporting your neighbors and community.

you're reinvesting in your own economy. that resonates with a lot of people. it's wonderful to shop at a store you know you're contributing maybe your son's coach or daughter's teacher they have a relationship with that business and you are reinvesting in community. that's fun. you get some great products and services that are supported by your local community. >> do you think most people understand how important this is? in my neighborhood we have a toy store. not always that convenient for me to go to that toy store but i think -- i don't want the toy store to go away. 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 new jobs are created by small business and 50% of american workers either work for or own a small business. that's a huge percent of our economy and that's part of the economy we want to sustain and grow and it's important to

re-emif a size the message. we know that it's important and we know we enjoy those small stores. but when you realize it's a big part your town look like if there were no small businesses. i met with a book seller. a viral video of this small business going out business and this small business going out of business and then you have a main street with nothing on it. >> that's very true. on small business saturday i'll be going to a local book store. i can't tell you how rewarding it is to go down there, see the christmas tree, be there with the families and know we're supporting our community. i want it's going to be there year after year. so it's a fabulous opportunity just to get the word out there. you know, sba guarantees loans for all small businesses but a lot of them are those main stream businesses we want to make sure are available to all of our communities.

>> thank you very much. again, we encourage everyone to shop small on november 30th. >> it's my pleasure in hoping promote it. >> when you think about getting people to shop local, you should be thinking about how to get people specifically in your area. so here now are five suggestions for low cost, local advertising courtesy of the nifb. one risk on local business directories. set up sites on yelp an yahoo local. they get reviews from previous customers. two, submit participant releases. let your community and business magazines know when something happens, leak you win an award or reach a tile e milestone, three, make your car an advertising vehicle by promoting your business with bumper stickers, decals or signage. four, do nate a prize to local give away stations. you will get on air exposure and possibly a mention on tear

website, too. five, enter a float in a parade. you will 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. we have ideas for getting people to shop local all year round. and the inspirational story of actor wendell pierce, who is opening up supermarkets in areas there were hard hit by hurricane katrina. [ music playing ] .

>> the shop local movement inspires many people who believe supporting their neighborhood stores keeps their communities vibrant. but what happens if you live in a neighborhood that doesn't have a place to shop? that was harg happening in new orleans, where people had to travel miles to get food and groceries until one entrepreneurial actor came to their rescue. >> he's played a homicide detective in "the wire. request itself.

>> i just want to know who is your dog,.org. >> and in "the musician." now wendell pierce is a high profile foodie in food centric, new orleans, a real life role bringing much needed action to parts of his hometown, 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 part in partners, it's an opportunity to go good. let's go into the grocery business. that's how sterling farms began. this is where i grew up. >> reporter: his dad still live, his dad got busy rebuilding pant char train park. among the middle class enclaves for blacks. ritz a glaring problem pierce wants to solve, adding jobs in

the process. >> he's a roll up your sleeves leader. he is not your celebrity pretty face who threw money at a deal. esterling sfarms opening a market desert. it's especially pronounced in new orleans, where there is a lack of private transportation. he's addressing that, too. >> will you need a ride home with your groceries? r. free rides for those spending at least $50. >> that's why we need private enterprises like wendell pierce's to fill in that gap and move into neighborhood itself where there is supply for food and nobody is supplying. >> in this neighborhood right down the street from me, i'm very excited. >> a simple goal for a complex issue. >> the most important thing is creating an economic engine and enan opportunity to have a decrept grocery store access.

ron mott, nbc news, new orleans. actor wendell pierce jones me in the studio now. can you see him on "the michael j. fox show" on nbc. thank you for taking the time to be here and congratulates on what you have done. it's really amazing. >> thank you. >> what strikes me is you found these food deserts. clearly, other people know about this but didn't think the demand was there. you look eight and say, no, there is demand. >> first of all, it came from the response to katrina. my community was destroyed. i started to realize the commercial districts weren't coming back as well. i put out a call to action and once we demonstrated that it was coming back, american industry would gladly tap into that market pleas. i realized there were so many areas not just because of our disaster but for whatever

reasons american industry was risk adverse and they weren't coming in. i thought that's not true. i know those communities. i know how they are populated people who demonstrated loyalty to your product and brand and traveled the distance to get to your store to demonstrate that. in turn, they ask you come into their community. still they were sitting on the side line. >> you talk about really being a part of a community. you are not coming in there, putting up your store, selling food. you become a part of the whole fabric. >> you are creating an economic engine one, you are coming in, giving first source hiring. you give people an opportunity to work at your store. >> did you do a lot of research? >> yeah. i'm not that actor, oh, i'm an actor. here is a vanity problem. i want to open a grocery store. i'll see you downtown. >> this isn't a non-profit? >> i'm a capitalist. i'm the true sense of the

capitalists. the more people have access to opportunity and education the more ideas, the more growth. you owe, sometimes people look at capitalism as a few night thing. there is a few night amount of wealth i got to hold on to mine and hoard and only my kids get this education and this development. they don't realize it is about opportunity and growth for everyone. if you look at our underserved communities in america. american industry is signature ob the side line. >> you also did some stuff that made it work for the community. some people couldn't get there. so you provide a car service. >> we have the sterling shuttle. we know in our community, so many people take public transportation and have to travel being on it. so one of the things 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 grocery, we live you a ride home on the

sterling shuttle. people responded to that. not only is eight great service, the connection with the community. it bodes well with your connection with the community. >> as far as driving around? >> it's great marketing. you couldn't get a better marketing tool. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much, jj. >> to get more ideas for you for small business saturday, we went to boston to talk to local merchants there to get people to shop hole. >> 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 enstra gram, twitter and facebook to use promo codes with hashtags telling everyone we're participating agree gen in small business saturday. >> for small business saturday, we're going to take advantage of the traffic that's going through maverick square in east boston on the tea line. we're going to entice them to come to our shops and sit down and have a cup of coffee or use

that as a meeting place before they go to downtown crossing. >> small business saturday is one of the important days for all of us small businesses but i really try and shop local all year long and encourage other vendors and merchants in the area to shop with me because if we don't support each other, then we have a rising tide can sell boats and us small business, we're small, collect heavily, we are uj hoo. we make 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 troy 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 smart strategies of keeping your customers back. >> small business saturday becomes this event, right, there is all this excitement about it

which gets people thinking okay i'm going to my local retailer on that day to go shop because everyone is talking about i. 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. >> and it can be a fun event or a serious event. you can put on a workshop in your business. you know, around shopping smart or safety or whatever else is concerning not just your store or your industry but your town. because, remember, you are trying to bring local people in. >> you have to make this a big deal so people think it's a big deal. so you have to decorate in some way or do something to show. >> yes, you know what, if it's something sex it's, you can have balloons. again, it depends on your balloons or banners. if it's something serious, it's about decorating appropriately. part of that is making it comfortable for your customers to shop with you or to bring, 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 a kid with? make your store welcoming environment. >> got it. another reason people go to stores they are, pects promotions an discounts. can you do that throughout the year, not kind of one off discounts but discounts that are around something you created as an event. >> exactly. i think the one residualesque from the great recession is everybody is value minded. everybody is thinking they want to deal. so think about what you can build something around. i mean the holidays are obvious, small business saturday is pretty obvious. i mean the big holidays are obvious. but you can do, make your own welcome for spring or welcome to fall or, you know, a seasonal thing. you can do it based on some town history. >> right. you talk about being community

minded. so there may be something going on in your community that you can support, whether it's the little league team, you know, first day playing softball, baseball or something locate that. >> exactly. i think it's a part of being a local business is showing that you are a local business and showing that you are more involved in the community than going online. you know, somebody that can maybe get that online or a big box store, but there is not that personal connection to the community that you are going to offer. >> reva, so glad to see you. i'd say the last tidbit, you are a retailer. collect the information off your customers so that ib indeed when you follow the rest of your tips throughout the 84, you can let people know about them. >> exactly. >> thanks, everyone, so much for joining me here today from nyack, new york. head over to our sweb site open

for the rum.com slash your business to find web exclusive content to help your small business grow. you can also follow us on twitter. 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 ended up closing that facility is focusing on customers of all sizes. until then, don't forget to shop local. remember, we make your business our business. [ music playing ] . ♪ ♪ 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. today is small business saturday. get out and shop small. . he left letters for me for when i grew up much sounds like a nice guy. >> you're very immature, like a kid who don't want to grow up. >> i wanted to plead guilty and get it over with. but she steered me wrong.