Alpena DDA hosting showcase for Small Business Week
ALPENA, Mich. — This week marks National Small Business Week- where we celebrate America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.
This past year has been like no other for our local stores and restaurants– so Downtown Alpena is hosting a Small Business Showcase this week to celebrate them. The showcase kicked off on Sunday, May 2 and will last until Saturday, May 8.
“It’s just a way to celebrate our downtown businesses,” said Kingsli Kraft, the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator at the Downtown Development Authority. “All week long you can enter to win a prize basket– a collaborative prize basket from different downtown businesses.”
There are fifteen downtown businesses participating in the showcase:
– Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce
– Olivet Book & Gift
– Great Lakes Divers
– Alpena Salt Spa
– Family Enterprise
– Soaps and Such
– Myers’ Fashions Etc.
– Emery Enterprises
– The Bluebird Boutique
– Red Brick Tap & Barrel
– The Rabbit Hole
– Rusty Petunias Marketplace
– Alpena Furniture & Flooring
– Parallel 45 Books & Gifts
– United Way of Northeast Michigan
– Classic Designs By Doreen Thomas
– Traveling Ladders
– The Style Wherehouse
The prize basket contains items like free scuba lessons, gift certificates and more. To enter to win, all you need to do is shop at one of these participating locations during the week. Kraft says the DDA wanted to showcase the small businesses in the area because of the year they’ve had battling the coronavirus pandemic.
“This idea came from our marketing and promotions committee,” Kraft said. “We just wanted to celebrate our small businesses especially after the very hard year that everybody has had.”
Kraft says the human experience that you wouldn’t find at big box stores is why she likes to promote small business and the work the owners do.
“It’s their business,” Kraft said. “It’s also all those other little pieces of them- they’re also an artist, they’re also a musician, and it’s just really cool to promote small businesses that way, promote connection and the human experience.”
