Martinsburg Parkersburg
Main Street Martinsburg capitalized on Small Business Sat-
urday early in the game. In the past, the local day of shopping
was based around the Christmas Parade. After an evening of
family fun and a chance to visit with Santa Claus, downtown
shops and restaurants would open up for an evening of shop-
ping and dining. For 2017, the traditional parade has moved
to another weekend, but Small Business Saturday promises to
be the same success as in years past.
Businesses in the area go all out for the event with decora-
tions, specials and extensive promotions. The most notable is
always Flowers Unlimited on Queens Street, as they are known
for their elaborately decorated windows, which always garner
a large crowd. Small Business Saturday will also kick off the
town’s annual Doors to Christmas, where local businesses deco-
rate beautiful wreaths that will adorn the antique doors of the
Shenandoah Hotel and be auctioned off live.
Randy Lewis, the executive director of Main Street Mar-
tinsburg, says small businesses are really the backbone of the
Martinsburg community, and Small Business Saturday builds
pride around these businesses.
“Small business is where it’s at because it’s so much more
personal,” he says. “Small Business Saturday really brings col-
laboration among the local businesses, and it gives a jump-start
to the holiday season.” Each year, Downtown PKB orders the American Express
Small Business Saturday event kit and launches into planning
with Parkersburg’s downtown merchants. Wendy Shriver, ex-
ecutive director of Downtown PKB, says with the organization’s
advertising and marketing power, the event brings awareness
to the fact that there are new businesses opening downtown.
“We had eight new businesses in downtown last year, and
we’ve already had six open this year and more planning to
open,” she says. “There is definitely an interest in people de-
veloping and moving their business to the downtown because
of the uniqueness of the downtown and the historic buildings.
It’s that feeling of quaintness in a downtown as opposed to
shopping in big box stores or the conventional mall setting.”
Santa’s helpers can find the perfect trinket for kids with sales
at Classic Plastics Toy Store on Market Street. Point Park Mar-
ketplace, which is essentially an incubator for small businesses,
holds a small taste of the market event while also welcoming
in smaller vendors like Wildtree, Avon and Tupperware with
hopes of promoting those businesses and other ventures.
Morgantown
On Small Business Saturday, Morgantown’s residents get
into the holiday spirit as they listen to live music on the court-
house square, and children’s eyes light up when they see Mr.
and Mrs. Claus, whose visit is sponsored by the Greater Mor-
gantown Convention and Visitors Bureau.
High Street glistens with a beautiful Christmas tree, and food
vendors warm shoppers from the inside out, selling soups and
hot chocolate.
“When you shop in any downtown or small, local busi-
ness, the majority of your dollars stay locally, and that’s a big
reason we participate in Small Business Saturday,” says Bar-
bara Watkins, assistant director of Main Street Morgantown.
“Main Street’s mission is for the economic development of the
downtown. All of our events are meant to attract new small
businesses into our historic downtown.”
For this year’s Small Business Saturday, shoppers have the
opportunity to win one of four downtown gift baskets. All of
the items in the baskets, which are valued between $400-500,
are donated from the small local shops in town.
Wheeling
In downtown Wheeling, Small Business Saturday commences
the town’s annual Boutique Week, which is sponsored by the
Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce.
For the event, shoppers receive a passport with a variety of
the chamber’s small business members. When they spend $25
at each of these retailers, their passport is stamped. At the end
of Boutique Week, shoppers submit their passports, and the
person with the most stamps wins a prize—gift certificates to
continue holiday shopping at these local Wheeling shops.
Erikka Storch, president of the Wheeling Area Chamber of
Commerce, says the Wheeling area is lucky when it comes to
the small business vibe of the town. From Hughes Design and
Gift Gallery to Accents to Nini’s Treasures, many of the city’s
small businesses embrace the idea of Boutique Week.
“Small Business Saturday and events like this are very im-
portant because all the growth these businesses see is achieved
through the continual reinvestment of the shoppers choosing
to shop at those locations,” says Storch. “It is a great oppor-
tunity to interact and show our local business owners that we
support their dreams.”
BLAIR DOWLER
Photo by Main Street Martinsburg.
Photo by Downtown PKB.
WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM
S U M M E R 2 017
117