SALT LAKE CITY — The holiday season is underway, and small businesses across Utah are getting ready to hopefully see people shopping local.
At Tutoring Toy, co-owner Bill Sartain said things are already picking up the pace.
“It’s earlier than I expected it to be,” said Sartain. “The first of this past week, we started to see a measurable jump.”
Down the street at Sports Den, manager Mike Thorpe said they’re seeing similar crowds.
“The holidays are huge for us, and so people are already coming early and getting presents and all sorts of stuff like that,” said Thorpe.
Thorpe said they’ve finally caught up after a financial hit from COVID, thanks, in part, to locals shopping in person at small businesses like his.
“If we didn't have the support, we couldn't be here,” he said.
There are some things you just can’t get online, like services and recommendations.
“We have a very loyal clientele. Like, every year they'll come in [ask] 'What's new? What's hot? What should I have?' And they kind of trust us because that's what we pride ourselves on is making sure we get you the right stuff,” said Thorpe, “And also service in the ski shop, you know, you can't get that done online.”
Sartain agreed and said the interactions with customers put a smile on his face and theirs.
“We say hello to our customers. We say thank you to our customers,” said Sartain, “We're readily available to walk them through the store, making suggestions and helping them find the right toy.”
The 35-year-old business sells toys unique to its shop in Foothill Village.
“A lot of the things you find in here come from smaller manufacturers from around the world,” he said, “We offer products that are not readily available anyplace else other than specialty toy stores.”
So when it comes to shopping for your loved ones this holiday season, consider stopping in to one of your local businesses — not only to support them, but for the experience they offer.
