Small Business Saturday Went Unnoticed by Most in Elkridge

Goody's Folk Art, a very small, family-run manufacturing company located on Main Street in Elkridge, is exactly the sort of business that Small Business Saturday is designed to promote.

New this year, the concept is simple: Set aside the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday to bolster the sales of independent merchants. American Express, a self-professed champion of American small businesses, established a Facebook page especially for the event and offered cardholders a $25 credit when they shop at small businesses on Small Business Saturday.

Inside a crowded, historic building that has been home to Goody's Folk Art for 12 years, Anna Goodman, her husband, Harold, and her mother, Pat Zepp, 92, hand carve and paint wooden decoys and Santa Claus figures that they sell at craft fairs and elsewhere. Harold does the carving, Anna does most of the painting and "Miss Pat" crochets garments and ornaments. They struggle a bit to make a living, but they love their lifestyle.

"I worked in Baltimore factories as an electrician for 42 years," said Harold Goodman. "I retired in April and they gave me a plastic clock that said 'Made in China' on it. That's exactly what's wrong with America."

In a woodshop behind their store, Harold demonstrated a duplicating machine that he designed and built himself to speed up production. "I use it to rough out the stock and save time on labor."

Like many retailers, half of the annual sales at Goody's Folk Art come in the four months from Sept. 1 through the end of December, so every day at this time of year is important to them. "People are still buying our things. Our customers don't want to go to Kmart and buy stuff that came off a container ship," said Harold.

To increase production and help with distribution, the Goodmans hired a part-time woodworker and an independent wholesaler.

"People constantly ask us how we can make a living in manufacturing. If you want to work hard, you can do it. We're doing pretty well. We put food on the table and we're happy. This is what America needs," said Harold.

The Goodmans agree that their biggest concern is health insurance. "Luckily I was able to jump on COBRA when I retired. Otherwise we wouldn't have any healthcare," said Harold.

SMALL BUSINESS WHAT?

Just a mile to the south of Goody's Folk Art, on Troy Hill Drive at the independently owned and operated Harley Davidson of Maryland, puzzled looks were common among employees and customers when they learned that today was Small Business Saturday. Many knew nothing about it.

"We need to get more into promoting Small Business Saturday. I think it could be really good for us," said Rachel Klatt, parts manager for Harley Davidson of Maryland.

"Friday and Saturday [following Thanksgiving] this year was better for us than last year, but sales for the year on the whole have been down. What keeps us going is the Naval Academy and Fort Meade – government spending. I've talked to dealers in places like Kentucky that don't have the federal government to rely on and they haven't sold a motorcycle in four months."

Still, the dealership has been hurt by the sluggish economy. "We used to have 50 people working here, now it's down to 15," Klatt said. "Our parts business is okay, but our labor is way down. People are fixing their own bikes or they are just parking them."

New and used motorcycle sales, which amounted to 25 percent of profit in the past, are troublesomely sluggish. Furthermore, customers who purchase motorcycles are spending less on accessories. "We used to sell $5,000 in add-ons for each motorcycle we sold. Now people take them stock with nothing extra," said Klatt.

SMALL RETAILERS DESERVE DAY IN THE SUN

Another mile to the south is Calidad Linen, which shares a building with the U.S. 1 Flea Market. Although the parking lot was full at 1 p.m. on Small Business Saturday, merchants were unaware that they were the subject of an effort to increase their sales and expressed concern about the state of the economy.

"People are poor. Sales are down 45 to 50 percent since last year," said Maria Embert, general manager of Calidad Linen, which has found an unusual niche selling perfume, underwear and mattresses. "We are being squeezed. We are paying more for items but we have to sell them for the same price."

Nancy Corporon, a resident of Columbia who admitted she had not heard about Small Business Saturday, said, "It sounds like a great idea. Big box stores have had their special day [Black Friday] for years and it's only fair that the little guys get their day in the sun."