Two Roanoke businesses have high hopes for Small Business Saturday

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — Small business owners in Roanoke are hoping for a big turnout for ‘Small Business Saturday.’ During the holiday season, shoppers are encouraged to spend locally, especially after the pandemic took a toll on a lot of stores and the community.

Patricia White, owner of Thrifty Bean, sells everything from clothes to housewares, but she says her number one goal is keeping things affordable.

“I want to be able to provide the families out here that are maybe struggling in the economy or just don’t have a lot of extra money to still be able to look their best,” said White. “We have pretty much everything you need to do that.”

White is not the only one trying to keep prices low. Across town, Kevin Saunders, owner of The Volts, and his wife say it took a lot of get-up and running. The couple would travel from Tennessee to Roanoke to do what was necessary for their business.

“We’d go there, sleep outside to get the merchandise that we need to bring back here, to get better deals that you see in the store,” said Saunders.

The business owners knew first-hand about the toll the pandemic was taking, with both losing their jobs because of the coronavirus. So, they came up with a way to support their children. They stock stuff for which everyone can find a use, like mattresses and appliances.

“I try to keep a mixture, a variety of everything here,” said Saunders.

“If you spend all your money in big box stores, then the mom and pop stores or the privately owned businesses like this one lose out a lot,” added White.

Both businesses opened in the past month and are hoping to see you on Small Business Saturday.