JBissett@DominionPost.com
FAIRMONT – This Saturday won’t be just another day on Dani DeVito’s calendar.
That’s because it’s the 2025 edition of Small Business Saturday and the president of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce is encouraging everyone to stay home and shop.
After all, the former journalist said, Small Business Saturday is always a great retail story to tell.
Especially in the age of online shopping and those mega-commercial strips on the periphery.
Both delivery systems, the chamber president observes, can be a tad impersonal with their corporate offices in other places and with wares that can be acquired anywhere else and everywhere else.
DeVito said it’s great to be reminded that there are unique businesses out there operated by people who really know you – and whose shelves and display cases are brimming with unique gifts for Christmas that are just waiting to happen.
“We want to celebrate our small businesses every day,” she said.
Besides all the great retail, there’s a civic, good-neighbor side that chamber presidents just love, she said.
“Small businesses are where you go if you need that donation for Little League jerseys or that gift basket for the raffle. On Small Business Saturday, we get to be there for them, really.”
Look for a full shopping experience with specials and other incentives to keep it local, she said.
The day starts with ribbon-cuttings at a cafe and a consignment shop. It concludes with the official lighting of downtown Fairmont’s Christmas tree and a reception at the chamber offices on Adams Street.
“Fairmont’s experiencing a revitalization right now,” DeVito said. “You’ll have to come see us.”
While you’re at it, you can also take a 20-minute cruise north on Interstate 79 for Small Business Saturday doings in Morgantown.
The day in the University City brings together merchants from downtown and the Wharf District, along with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus in the West Virginia University Retail Lab on High Street.
There’s all that, plus a vintage pop-up market in Courthouse Square.
Small Business Saturday has been part of the country’s retail landscape since 2011 when American Express came up with the idea of “shopping small” for big appreciation on Christmas morning.
The day since has generated more than $220 billion for local economies, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
