Rep. Scholten Hosts Small Business Saturday Preview
View a reply of the press conference here.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Today, Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-03), member of the House Small Business Committee, joined The Arts Marketplace leadership and small business owners to highlight the importance of supporting small businesses ahead of Small Business Saturday.
“Small businesses are the economic engine of West Michigan. When you shop small, you’re not just getting an incredible homemade gift or service– your dollars are being invested right back into your own community,” said Rep. Scholten. “It was an honor to join small business leaders this afternoon to talk about how important it is to shop small ahead of the holiday season.”
"Shopping small isn't just a purchase, it's an investment in your community. At Wear Your Curls, we believe that every small purchase adds up to big changes – changes that strengthen our local economies and bring us closer as a community. This Small Business Saturday, let's celebrate the power of small businesses to bring us together and make our neighborhoods thrive," said Felisha Rodriguez, CEO of Wear Your Curls.
"Our mission is not only to fill a need downtown for retail space, but to do so in a way that fosters inclusion and belonging in our community with women and minority-owned businesses... every dollar that gets spent here goes right back to our makers which helps our local community and makes a big impact," said Jamie Dionne, Board President of The Arts Marketplace.
“Currently, we are hosting 65 different small businesses within our store – things ranging from jewelry, to books, to candles, home goods, greeting cards, clothing, and different beauty products as well. We are always looking to grow our community of vendors here,” said Kelcey Edwards, General Manager of The Arts Marketplace.
Rep. Scholten serves on the House Small Business Committee in Congress. So far, Rep. Scholten has introduced several bipartisan bills to help America’s small businesses grow and thrive. She introduced the Main Street Competes Act to help small businesses maintain their competition with big corporations in the marketplace, and the Enhancing Competition in Contracting Orders Act that would expand economic opportunity for small businesses in underserved regions.