Join the Pink Friday movement to support small businesses and strengthen our community
What comes to mind when you think…Black Friday?
Exciting? Chaotic? Stressful?
All the above?
However you feel about Black Friday, it is, without a doubt…the biggest and most hectic shopping day of the year.
Starting in 1924 and officially gaining the name “Black Friday” in the 1960’s, the day after Thanksgiving has become the “unofficial”, yet almost unanimously crowned, start to the holiday shopping season. Over the years though, as consumerism has grown, it’s evolved into something…more. Something that doesn’t always allow us to maintain the glow of gratefulness that we just experienced on Thanksgiving. For so many, the mindset shift almost happens like clockwork. Once that clock strikes 12, the time for giving thanks is set aside and it's a new day. A day to turn the focus from what we have and are grateful for…to what we, as well as our loved ones, are lacking and would be happy to find under the Christmas tree on December 25th.
Black Friday’s a time when many of us head out with the masses, in the wee hours of the morning, hopped up on coffee, energy drinks and adrenaline, just itching to find a bargain. With nearly 80 million people visiting big, brick and mortar, retail stores like Walmart, Kohls, and Target and another 90 million also shopping online at the hugely popular Amazon. It's easy to see why it’s the biggest shopping day of the year.
But each year, there’s a growing push to back off the big box, chain retailers that are making billions and billions of dollars and instead, shop smaller. Walmart for example, made 650 billion dollars last year, Amazon made 575 billion. In comparison, the national average for a small business owner is a humble 30,000 dollars a year…and given the current state of the economy, it could be far less. Just to give a bit of perspective…the Walton Family, who owns Walmart, is worth 350 billion dollars and Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon, is worth 200 billion. They’re not worried about putting food on their tables, they’re not stressing about gas or electric bills, and they’re not trying to figure out how to keep their business going while also paying for their kids to play sports or take music lessons.Their success is literally in the hands of their communities.
In 2013 a woman by the name of Ashley Alderson saw a need within the small business community and decided to create a supportive space for them. It’s an online community, centered around boutiques and small businesses. It’s a place where business owners can find support, as well as a sense of community with like minded individuals. It’s also a creative space where they can share concepts and bounce ideas off one another. The goal, at the time, was to give small business owners the tools they needed to maximize their success. Today, the Boutique Hub is the world's largest small business community.
By 2020, with the Boutique Hub thriving, Ashley decided to take things a bit further. Seeing a change in the way people were viewing Black Friday, and seeing consumers' willingness to shop small growing by leaps and bounds…Ashley felt like it was time to do more for the small business community she cared so much about. With the growth of small businesses everywhere and online shops, like etsy, thriving…she took a chance. Her goal: to make “Shopping Small” more than just a trendy moment…but rather…a movement. A movement that would help not only small business owners, but the communities they dwelled within. The name of her movement would be called “Pink Friday” and it would happen every year on the Friday before Thanksgiving.
This year, on November 22nd Hamilton will proudly take part in their first ever Pink Friday!
How exciting for us as Hamiltontians! For us to have a special day where we’re given the opportunity to show up for the small businesses in our city, both the brick and mortar shops and online stores, and show them that we appreciate them and that we’re so grateful for all they do.
A quick drive through Hamilton and it’s hard to miss all the change that’s happened in the last decade or so. The revitalization that’s taken place has been positively staggering. With much of that revitalization coming from small business owners who took a chance, put down roots, and helped bring the City of Hamilton back to life.
As a child of the 80’s I have fond memories of walking around downtown Hamilton and feeling like it was the most special city in the world. Whether it was a trip into Tom’s Cigar Store with my grandma to play her numbers, buying my childhood dog, Boomer, at Noah’s Ark Pet Shop, or looking forward to the festive window displays that each business did so spectacularly each holiday season…the small businesses of Hamilton have always added so much life to our city.
Sadly though, I also remember when Hamilton went through a time where there was empty storefront after empty storefront, when there wasn’t as much life, when there were just a few businesses holding things together and when people weren’t traveling here to see everything that Hamilton has to offer. The revitalization that’s happened is exciting, sure. But it’s also a beautiful gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted. The contribution that small businesses have had in bringing Hamilton back to life, is something to find immense gratitude in. Gratitude that should be shown through action as well as words.
On November 22nd, Hamilton’s first ever Pink Friday, what better way to show our gratitude to the small businesses of Hamilton, than to step into their stores, boutiques and eateries, open our hearts and our wallets, and invest in our own people and our own community.
The color pink represents many things including love, hope and strength. How very fitting that on Pink Friday we’re given the chance to show our love for others, give them a little hope, and through our actions, show just how strong Hamilton and its people truly are.