Dozens Of Harlem Shops Join 'Small Business Saturday': See Which Ones

HARLEM, NY — Saturday is an important day for independently owned small businesses across Harlem: it's Small Business Saturday, the first in a series of "shop small" events that emphasize the power of dollars spent in local communities.

Small Business Saturday is sandwiched between the major Black Friday retail shopping holiday that tends to favor national brands and Cyber Monday, an online shopping event that this year takes place on Nov. 28.

Many of the participating retailers may be offering deals and discounts, while others simply ask for the support of their fellow Harlemites.

Searching for "Harlem" on the official Small Business Saturday map shows dozens of participating shops in the neighborhood. A few examples include:

• Jin Ramen (3183 Broadway)
• Manna's (2353 Frederick Douglass Blvd.)
• Uncle Tony's Pizza (1596 Amsterdam Ave.)
• Mushtari Home Hardware and Garden Center (31 West 125th St.)
• Harlem Wine Gallery (2067 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.)
• Row House (2128 Frederick Douglass Blvd.)
• Silvana (300 West 116th St.)
• El Encanto De Lola (175 Lenox Ave.)
• Urban Garden Center (1640 Park Ave.)
• Settepani (196 Lenox Ave.)

Plus many more. Find other participating shops by searching for a business name, ZIP code or neighborhood on the official map website.

For many without the scale of established national chains to cruise through COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, fourth-quarter sales could make the difference between hanging on or shuttering their shops.

Last year, Small Business Saturday sales topped $23 billion. Since the first Small Business Saturday in 2010, consumers have spent an estimated $163 billion, according to American Express, the longtime sponsor of the event.

Two-thirds of every dollar spent at a local business remains in the community, according to most estimates. There’s a little more to the so-called "local multiplier effect," according to the American Independent Business Alliance.

A study from that group found that, on average, 48 percent of every purchase at a local independent business is recirculated locally, compared to less than 14 percent of purchases at chain stores.