Zoe B.

Girl Reporter

Small Business Saturday is a holiday shopping tradition. It occurs every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was originally founded by American Express in the year 2010 and has been going on since. It helps bring the attention of the importance on the support of small businesses all across the United States of America. Over 6,000 businesses participated in small business Saturday and more are expected this year. From a small you can get home cooked food and meals and special recipes made just for you. You can get things you couldn’t get from a large chain business or restaurant. Through small businesses you can connect with and support your community. Some of the small businesses that support their community through a family owned shop are Designer Hand Knits, Riverside Cookie, Simple Simon’s and The Hot Dog Shoppe.

Designer Hand Knits is a local crocheting and knitting shop located in Downtown Riverside. They have a very large collection of yarns including Berroco, Feza, Marisol, and Araucania. Giving classes each day starting at beginner and going to intermediate then to advanced. They give classes for both knitting and crocheting a basic knot or stitch to learning to complete a complex project. They are a full time service shop and have experienced knitters who are free to assist you during your journey through the store. They own a large selection of collection and yarns,  strings, patterns and designs, and even some different types of accessories and tools uses to help you complete your projects. They offer service whether it is direct or over the phone through call or text. They give children adults and also a chance to learn to knit and crochet.

Riverside Cookie, a local cookie shop located near Designer Hand Knits in Downtown Riverside, offers a wide variety of freshly baked cookie. They have gluten free, chocolate, and sugar cookies and make spacial order cookie trays ranging from big to small. All delicious and amazing. They bake a fresh batch of cookies each and every day and close with none left in the window. The shop started with a vision from the owner, Nikki Wyrick. She envisioned a bakery and soon the dream became a reality. She did not receive the number of customers she had hoped for and instead changed her bakery to a cookie shop. She used the cookie recipes she had used to bake two types of cookies for her children. The two types of cookies that she would bake for her children were oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip. Using the simple technique of baking in small batches throughout the day to offer each person fresh cookies. Now, just 3 years later, she has people coming from all over just to get a taste of her cookies.

Simple Simon’s, the bakery and cafe, has been going strong for many years in the making and will continue to go strong for many more years. They have overcome a fire that happened in their kitchen in 2010. This fire destroyed the entire kitchen where it started and the smoke damaged almost the entire dining room. Though this fire took out most of the building, they quickly recovered and stayed just a busy as ever. They always have a long line and make their food right there from scratch every day. Simple Simons even has a bakery in another area of town where they bake all their own bread and pastries.  They are open daily (except Sunday and Monday) for breakfast and lunch. They made it through and are now just as amazing as usual.

The Hot Dog Shoppe, is a shop that specializes mainly in hot dogs. Their owner first came to California from Chicago. He had always loved hot dogs and the things that were put on top. They have multiple different types of hot dogs each of them handmade to suit your taste buds. They have their own secret recipe for their chili that they use on multiple hot dogs and sides on their menu. The staff even created their own mac and cheese creation called “Mac Daddy fried mac and cheese”, which is grilled on the stove. They are super welcoming and have been going strong for many years. They have specialty hot dogs each year and a special challenge that will get your name and picture in the hot dog hall of fame. The Home Wrecker Challenge is an eating contest where you eat three hot dogs in a certain amount of time. Once completed, you receive a t-shirt, your picture in the hall of fame, your own hotdog, and endless glory. They have fun serving their customers with a happy attitude and smiles on their faces.

Make sure that you participate in this holiday every year and support your community and what they have done for you. When you support your local businesses you not only get homemade articles, but you also get a community memory. Make sure to go to all of these small communities as well as many others to help. Though they might not have brand names and fancy designer products, but they do have heart and home feeling products and meals. You can eat or hangout at these places with your family or alone and still feel at home and still feel happy and at home. When you shop small, you not only help the business, but you also help your community and city.