Small Business Saturday A Big Hit With Local Chicago Shops

Small-business owners: Loyalty is key to survival

Bonne Sante Health Foods in Hyde Park has been around for 40 years. Like many other small businesses around Chicagoland, the holiday shopping season is a critical time of year. On Small Business Saturday, they hoped customers would look to them for unique gifts, instead of department stores. People like to come to a brick and mortar cause of our staff and knowledge, said George Perez of Bonne Sante Health Foods. White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett grew up in Hyde Park. She came back to her old neighborhood Saturday to shop at some small businesses.
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Obama does some ‘Small Business Saturday’ shopping

Last year, the Obamas shopped at a different bookstore – One More Page Books – in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Virginia. In 2011, they went to Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe in Washington. List of books purchased by Obama, according to the White House: Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Jinx by Sage Blackwood Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst and Lane Smith Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell Moonday by Adam Rex The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein Collision Low Crossers: A Year Inside the Turbulent World of NFL Football by Nicholas Dawidoff Ballad of the Sad Cafe: And Other Stories by Carson McCullers My Antonia by Willa Cather Ragtime By E.L. Doctorow The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka All That Is by James Salter Wild: From Lost to Found On the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Obama also encouraged Americans to take part in Small Business Saturday via Twitter on Saturday. When our small businesses do well, our communities do well. Join me and visit a small business near you today to celebrate #SmallBizSat .
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She joined Living Social, an online marketplace, and offers new beading boot camps. She also recently starting selling her handmade jewelry wholesale to shops and boutiques. Weve evolved, Valentine said. Valentine said a business must continue to change and grow with so much uncertainty in the economy. Owning a small business is not for the faint of heart, Valentine said. Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com . After 47 years in business, Carol Braga spent Small Business Saturday like she spends every other day in her store: socializing with customers and making as many sales as possible.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerset/news/x2132761564/Small-business-owners-Loyalty-is-key-to-survival