By Bill Petzold
Editor
CARO — For those who like shopping in their hometown and supporting businesses owned by members of their community, there’s no day quite like today — Small Business Saturday.
American Express created the “shopping holiday” in 2010, and Caro businesses joined in for the first time last year. The day for Small Business Saturday is the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Gayle Sleight, owner of Country Carriage Floral in Caro, has worked to get Caro businesses involved in the effort. As of Tuesday, 25 Caro businesses were listed online on American Express’ Shop Small website (shopsmallneighborhoods.americanexpress.com).
Each of the businesses will offer special deals to entice shoppers who want to get a jump on their Christmas shopping.
This year, Sleight will have added help from the Caro Chamber of Commerce and director Leianne Nichols. Nichols, co-chair of Caro’s Gingerbread Village celebration with Meggen Jensen, had the idea to combine a Gingerbread Scavenger Hunt with Small Business Saturday this year.
Most of the businesses participating in Small Business Saturday also will take part in the Scavenger Hunt, which will require participants to visit local businesses and find the hidden wooden gingerbread men.
“The Kiwanis club made them several years ago, and we’ve got a lot of them,” Nichols said of the gingerbred men. “At present, we’ve got about 33 businesses participating in the scavenger hunt.
“What will happen is these wooden gingerbread cutouts will be in the store someplace. The people that want to participate can pick up an entry form at Caro Wine Shop, Dollar Daze and Country Carriage Floral. Once they have their entry form, they go to as many of the participating businesses as they care to and find as many gingerbread men as they can. On the entry form they need to write (specifically) where they found the cutout gingerbread guy.”
Nichols said contestants may leave their completed entry forms at any participating business and will be collected Monday. Prizes will be awarded to those collecting the most gingerbread men, and Nichols said the winners would be announced about 8:30 p.m. December 6 at Gingerbread Central — which will be located at 260 North State Street (M-81) in downtown Caro between P.J. O’Brien’s catering and Chemical Bank.
For additional information on the Scavenger Hunt, contact the Chamber of Commerce office at (989) 673-5211. For information on Small Business Saturday and specials at Country Carriage Floral, call (989) 673-ROSE (7673) find Country Carriage on Facebook or visit www.countrycarriagefloral.com.