In an effort to stimulate local small businesses, Vice Mayor Robert Garcia is asking residents to join him and Mayor Bob Foster’s wife, Nancy Foster, for a series of lunches and shopping trips over the course of the summer in an event that’s being called “Shop Small Saturday.”
The series will begin July 27 in Downtown with dates also scheduled for August 31 and September 21. People who sign up to participate will be given the location of the central meeting place from the which the group will walk to the restaurant and the shop. Participants are asked to commit $25 to spend during the lunch and shopping trip.
In a press release, Garcia stressed the importance of spending money at small business in the community.
“For every $100 spent in the community, $68 returns to the local community,” Garcia said. “Our small businesses are the backbone of our local economy and this is a great way to support them and have fun with the whole family.”
The vice mayor’s initiative is not unlike the cash mobs that have sporadically popped up around town in recent years. Not to be confused with flash mobs, which are spontaneous demonstrations of dance and song, the cash mob utilizes social media to gather people at a local business with one thing in mind-pumping money into a local business as well as providing a socializing opportunity for residents. Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association and Living Long Beach have both organized cash mobs in the last year.
The locations for the first “Shop Small Saturday” will remain secret until the day of the event in order to maintain the element of surprise for the businesses that will be visited. However, the area chosen for the July 27 gathering Downtown Long Beach and both businesses have been open for less than a year.
Persons interested in taking part in the series can reserve a spot by calling Garcia’s office (562) 570-6919 or commenting on his Facebook page.
Click here to read our policies covering city council.
Read more: