Best Small Business Saturday Shopping In Minnesota
There is no better time to immerse yourself in the marketplace than the Saturday after Thanksgiving on Small Business Saturday. In so doing, you may find many of our local independent businesses offer a wider variety of products and a better value for your money. Here are the five best homegrown Minnesota merchants to visit on Small Business Saturday.
Appliances
Warners' Stellien Appliances—Coon Rapids
3436 129th Ave. NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55448
(763) 421-5720
www.warnersstellian.com
"We have prices as good as any big store," affirms Julie Carlson, Warners' Stellian marketing manager. She explains that family owned and operated Warners' Stellian negotiates for best priced offers from manufacturers when buying quantity, but also purchases closeouts since these smaller lots are passed over by the chain stores. You can find these bargains at all eight locations, along with Warners' trademark exceptional service. Black Friday prices are in effect from Nov. 5 through Cyber Monday. Check the ads for $999 stainless steel French door refrigerators, $499 per piece front load laundry pairs and $299 stainless steel dishwashers. Warners' Stellian features more than 50 brands of home appliances and Energy Star-rated appliances.
Related: Why Small Business Saturday Is Important For Your Community
Art Materials
Wet Paint
1684 Grand Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55105
(651) 698-6431
This unique store is crammed with everything related to producing art, along with the most-friendly people to help you find it. There is always something going on—whether it is shows, sales or seminars. Owner Beth Bergman lives in the neighborhood near her store, yet her geographic impact is incredible. Her leadership in helping Twin Cities artists perhaps contributed to the International Art Materials Association selecting Bergman as 2013 Hall of Fame winner. She is a strong supporter of her peers through the Grand Avenue Business Association and Metro Independent Business Association (MetroIBA) including its unique campaign to support local businesses on the Friday after Thanksgiving, named Plaid Friday.
Garden And Homesteading Supplies
EggPlant Urban Farm Supply
1771 Selby Ave.
St Paul, MN 55104
(651) 645-0818
www.eggplantsupply.com
Listen to live bagpipe music on Plaid Friday and find values all weekend among the eclectic mix of homesteading supplies. EggPlant Urban Farm Supply is a down-home, family-owned storehouse of everything you cannot get anywhere else for winter sustainability projects. Get your kits and attend workshops for homemade wine, fermenting vegetables, kefirs, yogurts or sourdough. Learn the art of making cheeses like Camembert, ricotta or mozzarella. Grow your own mushrooms, herbs, sprouts and microgreens all year round with the right soil, sprouters, lights, seeds and accessories.
Arts And Crafts
i like you
501 1st Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 208-0249
www.ilikeyouonline.com
Buying from the person who created your purchased objet d'arte always enhances its value. That is reason enough to shop this store. It offers all the fun of an arts and crafts fair, but you can shop indoors and throughout the year. Over 200 independent artists and crafters from Minneapolis display their consigned wares in appealing and attractive ways. i like you is a most fitting example of how you get much greater value from supporting your local independent merchants.
Book Sellers
Magers & Quinn Booksellers
3038 Hennepin Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 822-4611
www.magersandquinn.com
Reach for a book, firmly clutching the glossy cover. It welcomes you to open the fresh smelling pages describing places you have never been and ideas you have never known. Stepping into Magers, you feel that rush unlike any other. This 8,000-square-foot retail space is packed with books. Customers have access to a quarter-million book inventory and a knowledgeable staff of 30 booksellers who can engender informed recommendations. Recognizing the value of shopping locally, bibliophiles have been gathering at Magers & Quinn in ever increasing numbers since its founding twenty years ago.
Related: Obama Picks Minn. Authors On Small Business Saturday
Robin Johnson was born in Annandale, Minn. and graduated from Richfield High School and then the University of Minnesota where he studied Political Science, Business and Industrial Relations. A writer for Examiner.com, he also consults with a variety of organizations and individuals helping them develop and grow. His work can be found at Examiner.com.
