Small Business Saturday 2019: Participating Fort Lee Businesses

FORT LEE, NJ —You may not think about it much, but independently owned boutiques, gift shops, mom-and-pop hardware stores, restaurants and the like in Fort Lee are fighting for survival against malls, big box stores and online retailers.

Small Business Saturday, held annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, was created to give them a boost and help level the field of competition. This year, the 10th anniversary of the "Shop Small" movement, the all-local shopping event falls on Nov. 30.

In Fort Lee, here's a list of the businesses that have signed up so far:

• BCD Tofu House
• Myung Dong Noodle House
• Blue Angel
• It's Greek To Me
• Aquarius Seafood
• The Meat Bros
• Hudson Wine Market
• Ga Yeon Restaurant
• Mamouns Falafel
• Pho 32 Shabus
• Q Tea Tapas
• 16 Handles
• Yamagata Japanese Restaurant
• T-Swirl Crepe
• Palisade Bagels
• Loui Loui
• De Baggios
• Izakaya Raku
• The Tea Bar
• Bon Juk
• Yea Jip
• Sa Rit Gol
• Picnic Sushi
• 5 Salon & Spa
• Pizza Nova
• Oak Tong
• New York Wing Factory
• Wok Bar
• Charim
• Hidy Hair Studio
• Cosmos
• Fort Lee Animal Clinic
• Picnic
• Drip Medical Group
• Lousi Castel
• Haha Don Katsu
• Aura Thai Kitchen
• Gateaux Bakery
• Above All Fitness
• Tutti Nail
• HK
• Salon Sole By Loida
• Garden State News
• Blancscom Store
• The Beer Spot & Grill
• Kuun
• A1 Entertainment
• Venus Dry Cleaners
• Soho Night Club
• Seesaw - Hudson Lights
• Juun Hair
• Hub Print & Copy Center
• Serendipity
• Klay Creations
• Lash Place
• Kim Woo Hin Hair Salon
• HI Nail & Spa
• Palisades Bagels
• DWM Dance Studio
• VIP Fitness Center
• Beau Esthetic
• Kyorae Telecom
• Revitalize Cryo & Wei
• Shanti Foot Spa II
• Bergen Care Pharmacy
• Artistic Beauty Studio
• The Hanbok
• Boutique Luxe
• Drip Medi Spa
• Tiger Twins Martial Arts
• Tina Rhee Nail
• Sally Kim Skin Care
• Ezer Home Decor
• Mot Joeun Catering
• USA Dance Promotions
• Angels Foot Spa
• Siklu
• Kitty & Bella Skin Care & Nails
• Soho Frames
• Hair Atelier
• Jei Learning Center
• Seed Of Fort Lee
• Sweet Jacob Photo Studio
• Classic Cleaners
• J.M. Macs
• Ziller Ziller
• Salon Fort Lee Inc.
• Fox Hair
• Sally Kim Skin Care
• M&L Healthy Spa
• Uklip Imaging Services
• Fort Lee Andy Shoe Repair
• Estee Ann Skin & Nail
• Tickets Unlimited
• New Star Beauty
• Isoma Cosmetics
• Kpot
• Royal Spice
• Vetran Technologies

Did we miss anyone in Fort Lee? Tell us in the comments or email daniel.hubbard@patch.com, and we'll add it to the list.

The list of Small Business Saturday participants is growing, so before you head out to shop."Shop Small" events include not only sales on things you won’t find at the mall or other shopping venues, but also events that bring the community together.

American Express established Small Business Saturday in 2010 to help local businesses reeling from the Great Recession. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution a year later encouraging businesses in all 50 states to participate in what has morphed into a nationwide "shop small" movement.

This year, the stakes are even higher for small businesses. Rising rents and shifting consumer behavior are causing many small business owners to shutter their shops, according to American Express.

A Shop Small Consumer Impact survey from American Express found that 73 percent of people think empty storefronts are a national issue, and 84 percent agree the increase in empty storefronts and the closing of small, independently owned businesses negatively affects their local communities.

"We recognize the hardships faced by small business owners today and want to inspire people to take notice and Shop Small to support their communities on Small Business Saturday and beyond," Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express, said in a news release. "Retail is changing, but local shops are the fabric of our communities, helping them to thrive in the future is part of our brand ethos and backing promise."

Since 2010, local business supporters have spent $103 billion on Small Business Saturday, according to American Express.

But that's only part of the story. For every dollar spent at a U.S. small business, approximately 67 cents stays in the local community — and it helps independent shops and restaurants keep their doors open and meet pay their workers, your neighbors.

That amounts to about $67 billion that has stayed in local communities since Small Business Saturday began, according to American Express.

The American Express survey showed that when consumers are aware of the impact of spending their dollars locally, 75 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a product or service from small, independently owned businesses.

Shopping small isn't just a Thanksgiving weekend retail event, but a yearlong movement, according to American Express, which says it is launching a marketing campaign to make consumers more aware of the impact they can have on their communities when they support local businesses.

"We believe in backing small businesses because we know they strengthen the communities where we live and work," Anna Marrs, president of Global Commercial Services at American Express, said in the news release.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com