WG Chamber Supports Small Business Saturday

There's lots of talk supporting the “Small Business Saturday” initiative.

The American Express-sponsored event will go into its second year tomorrow, as it encourages consumers to support their local businesses. Held during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year, Small Business Saturday reminds those shoppers of the event’s slogan, “Shop Small.”

According to the Small Business Saturday website, millions of Americans have been asked to participate in the initiative, and there are 2,532,994 supporters on its Facebook Page as of earlier this afternoon, today.

It may be soon that Small Business Saturday will be an idea as deeply ingrained in the consumer conscious as Black Friday or Cyber Monday – and the Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce is doing its part to support that effort.

“That’s our main focus to support local businesses,” John DiMarzio, Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce president, said. “We help give our local merchants a chance to keep folks in Upper Moreland.”

According to DiMarzio, there are over 300 members of the chamber, adding that nearly 80-percent of the members are small businesses.

Aside from being the liaison between the business community and local goverment, the chamber’s primary action in supporting local businesses is through its networking capabilities.

DiMarzio said that the chamber has recently upped its web presence by revamping the chambers website (www.ewillowgrove.com). The website now features on its front-page stories about the accomplishments of its members, including induction by the Society of American Florists (SAF) to the Floriculture Hall of Fame.

“I want it to be the central communication source for Upper Moreland,” DiMarzio said of the chamber's website. “We want to be the go-to site for residents, politicians and the business community.”

The chamber also helps its members organize networking events.  

Such networking events are held right inside the place of business, hosting the event, thereby giving event participants the opportunity to explore more of that business, as well as get to know residents and other merchants in the area.

DiMarzio said that the chamber does all the promotion for the host business and their networking event, which includes, e-mails, phone calls and word-of-mouth through its board members.

Such events are held at least twice a month, and are free to its members.

“Small businesses have the opportunity to showcase their business to the community,” DiMarzio said. “Let us bring a networking event to them, so they can show off.”

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