From left to right:
Tony Loeffler, owner of Atlas Body & Home and board member of the Downtown Business Association;
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor’ and Melanie Kearney, SBA Loan Coordinator Team Leader in St. Petersburg on Nov. 26, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
Hurricane Milton packed a wallop throughout Florida when it made landfall on Oct. 9, but six counties in particular — Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Hardee — were the most badly damaged.
Those counties are home to nearly half a million small businesses, employing nearly 1 million people and generating about $130 billion in revenues, according to a report from McKinsey & Co.
For small retail businesses, it’s been a particularly challenging year. That’s why lawmakers and business officials are pumping up this weekend’s “Small Business Saturday” to kickstart higher sales numbers as the holiday shopping season commences.
“St. Petersburg is a community that loves and supports its small businesses. And they really need it right now because thousands of small business owners and neighbors across the Tampa Bay area and the whole west coast of Florida were really hit hard by hurricanes Helene and Milton,” Tampa Bay area Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor said this week during a press conference in downtown St. Petersburg.
“Helene and Milton were like the unwanted guests that showed up and trashed the place and are gone and have left a lot of damage in their wake, but we’re resilient and we’re going to rebuild and we’re going to make sure that our small business owners can survive this. We’re going to make sure that they’re going to bounce back and that they can recover.”
American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 as a ceremonial opening to the holiday shopping season. Advocates say more money stays in the community when people shop at local small businesses.
Make or break
“Small businesses are the lifeblood and backbone of St. Pete,” said Tony Loeffler, owner of Atlas Body & Home and a board member of the St. Petersburg Downtown Business Association.
“We’re the envy of much larger cities and we can’t take that for granted. Supporting your local shops and restaurants and services is crucial, especially during this busy holiday shopping season. It’s a make-or-break time for lots of folks,” Loeffler continued.
“Fun fact that nearly 70 cents of every dollar spent in the local community stays in our local economy. We employ the majority of the workforce in St. Pete. We keep our tax dollars here. We live here and employ people who live here. We also give back to our community. We provide personal customer service, a shopping experience you simply can’t get online or retailers … so when you decide to spend your well-earned money, please spend it locally at your neighborhood shops.”
“Now with these historic hurricanes that came through, we’ve seen a pretty big downtick in shopping, because people aren’t out there,” added Anthony Shun, president of NautiGirl Beachwear, a surf shop and beachwear store downtown.
“So, we definitely ask you during this time, come out and have a conversation with us. Tell us your story. That’s been a lot of the magic that’s happened, too, because we’ve had a lot of people come in who have lost some things and they’ve had to replace certain things. … The money that you guys can spend with us really, really does make an impact.”
Fund is empty
Some small businesses hope for financial relief through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Disaster Loan Program, but the agency announced last month that those funds have been fully expended. Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of members of the Florida congressional delegation reached out to Senate and House leaders in a letter urging them to include funding for the program in an emergency disaster supplemental package.
Those lawmakers included Democrats Maxwell Frost and Jared Moskowitz and Republicans Vern Buchanan, Greg Steube, Brian Mast, Maria Elvira Salazar, and Laurel Lee.
“Small businesses are the job creators in our community and the backbone of Florida’s economy. Unfortunately, many of our region’s small businesses were significantly impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. They desperately need access to the SBA disaster loan program to help get their businesses open and on their feet,” said Lee in a written statement. “I am urging Senate and House leadership to include funding for the SBA disaster loan program in their emergency disaster supplemental package to help Main Street in this devastating time.”
Meanwhile, the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, the state’s principal provider of small business assistance, is also putting the word out in encouraging consumers to support small businesses.
“When you shop small, you’re doing more than making a purchase — you’re investing in your neighbors and strengthening your community,” said Greg Britton, state director of the Florida SBDC Network. “The Florida SBDC Network invites everyone to support local businesses by shopping small this Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season.”
“It’s really on all of us to support our small businesses at this time,” Rep. Castor said this week. “Don’t sit there online and order something from an online shop. Get out and support your local small businesses. And when you go out and support your small business owners in this community, those dollars circulate. They’re spent in restaurants. They’re spent on buying other supplies. These are the dollars that are going to help us recover and rebuild.”
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