Exclusive | Small Business Saturday celebrates NYC mom-and-pop shops as holiday season kicks off: ‘The backbone of the city’

Between blockbuster Black Friday sales and bulk ordering on Cyber Monday, shoppers-in-lieu have yet another day of spending.

On Small Business Saturday, which falls two days after Thanksgiving on Nov. 30, people are encouraged to visit their neighborhood mom-and-pop shops to promote shopping locally, rather than at major department stores or online retailers, which are usually shown much love on Friday and Monday following the holiday.

Founded in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday began to support communities after the recession. Just last year, consumers reported a whopping $17 billion spent at tiny shops, and, since its inception, Small Business Saturday has brought in a total of $201 billion in revenue.

After the COVID-19 pandemic upended mom-and-pops around the city and resulted in thousands shuttering for good, it is important — now more than ever — to shop local.

“It’s such an important part of the city, and it really, I think, is the backbone of the city,” Tiffany Keriakos, owner of the Upper East Side consignment retailer Designer Revival, told The Post, adding that there are fewer small businesses in the city as a result of various hardships like crime and COVID.

Here, The Post has rounded up some local mom-and-pops across the boroughs ahead of Small Business Saturday.

Upper East Side

Uptown, shoppers can purchase pre-loved clothing from the Niche Shop or shop consignment at Designer Revival, which is hosting an all-day sip-and-shop event on Saturday.

“We really take pride in being a local business and being able to support our local community,” Keriakos said, emphasizing that small businesses are an asset to the city.

There’s also Mary Arnold Toys, which has been in business for almost a century and is a cornucopia of games, dolls, toys and books galore, making it the perfect pit stop when shopping for stocking stuffers or other holiday gifts.

You can also make your Saturday a little sweeter — and boozier — at Spoonable Spirits, a business dedicated to alcohol-infused pudding and jellos.

And, down the street, crafty consumers itching for a new project can stop by Rita’s Needlepoint, founded in 1973 by Rita Klein, who set up shop in the Big Apple after moving from Paris. Although she retired in 2019, the store still serves the artistic community on the UES.

The Niche Shop: 311 E. 81st St., http://thenicheshop.co/

Designer Revival: 324 E. 81st St., https://www.designerrevival.com/

Mary Arnold Toys: 1178 Lexington Ave., http://www.maryarnoldtoys.com/

Rita’s Needlepoint: 303 E. 81st St., https://www.ritasneedlepoint.com/

Lower East Side

Head south to satiate your sweet tooth at the legendary Economy Candy, a NYC mainstay since 1937, and satisfy your inner bookworm by purchasing a new novel from Sweet Pickle Books — a store overflowing with used books that slyly sells both of the goodies that make up its name. If you’re hankering for something salty and savory, donate a tome from your personal library in exchange for — you guessed it — pickles.

Down the block, there’s November 19, a home goods and apparel store, or the boutique and studio owned and operated by Pamela Barsky, a designer known as “the original New York bag lady.” There, fashionistas can buy one of her famed, slogan-adorned pouches or totes.

Economy Candy: 108 Rivington St., https://www.economycandy.com/

Sweet Pickle Books: 47 Orchard St., http://www.sweetpicklebooks.com/

November 19: 37 Orchard St., http://www.november19market.com/

Pamela Barsky Boutique & Studio: 147 Orchard St., http://pamelabarsky.com/

West Village

On the other side of town, the West Village is the perfect place for avid thrifters to get their fix at vintage hotspots like Screaming Mimis or Madame Matovu — or fashionistas can score affordable luxury at the sample sale haven Clever Alice.

Leather lovers, however, can head to Waverly Leather, which is dedicated to hand-crafted pieces from briefcases and backpacks to messenger satchels and totes.

Those in the mood for some light reading can snag a glossy periodical or the day’s newspaper from Casa Magazines, the neighborhood’s celebrity-beloved newsstand that offers thousands of titles for every interest. Those with beloved furry friends they want to immortalize can even commission a pet portrait from Mimi Vang Olsen, a famed artist who operates out of her studio on Hudson Street.

Screaming Mimis: 240 W. 14th St., http://www.screamingmimis.com/

Madame Matovu: 240 W. 10th St.

Clever Alice: 87 Christopher St., https://www.cleveralice.com/

Waverly Leather: 33 Greenwich Ave., http://www.waverlyleather.com/

Casa Magazines: 22 8th Ave.

Williamsburg

Cross the East River into Brooklyn and visit the stalls of local creatives who have set up shop inside Artists and Fleas, a bazaar comprised of more than 50 vendors with a mission of bolstering business for small shops.

If you’re on the market for new furniture, browse the array of pieces at the Dobbin St. Vintage Co-Op, or shop the options for home goods at Leif. Then, there’s By Liv, a clothing shop that specializes in sustainable garments made from recycled materials and sells vintage items and pieces from independent designers.

If you’re in the mood for gift shopping, head out to East Williamsburg to Friends NYC, a curated hodge-podge of homeware, smoking essentials, candles and accessories.

While taking a break to enjoy a freshly baked item from Settepani Bakery, dig into a book from Quimby’s Bookstore, where visitors are inundated with an eclectic collection of zines, novels and other curious items.

Artists & Fleas: 70 N. 7th St., https://www.artistsandfleas.com/williamsburg/

Dobbin St. Vintage Co-Op: 39 Norman Ave., http://dobbinstcoop.com/

Leif: 99 Grand St., https://www.leifshop.com/

By Liv: 293 Manhattan Ave., http://bylivhandmade.com/

Friends NYC: 56 Bogart St., https://friendsnyc.com/

Settepani Bakery: 602 Lorimer St., https://www.settepani.com/

Astoria

Across the Queensborough Bridge in Astoria, there are a plethora of hidden gems hawking accessories, apparel, home goods and knick-knacks, such as the Brass Owl or Lockwood, and, after a long day of shopping, locals can also unwind at Sacred Space, a yoga and wellness studio founded by Queens resident and mom of three Kim Alexandrescu.

If you’re on the hunt for a special holiday gift, snag a new vinyl from Pancakes Records or pick up a jar of local honey at Astor Apiaries, which prides itself on being the only honey and bee shop in the city and saw “quite the foot traffic” at their newly brick-and-mortar on Small Business Saturday last year.

“It gives a certain uniqueness and authenticity to a neighborhood when you have stores like us that are just in Astoria,” founder Nick Hoefly told The Post, adding that shopping small boosts business for the neighborhood, where many mom-and-pops have fallen to the wayside.

“Getting people to know about us is huge in just keeping us around.”

The Brass Owl: 36-19 Ditmars Blvd., https://www.thebrassowl.com/

Lockwood Home & Gift: 32-15 33rd St., https://lockwoodshop.com/

Sacred Space: 2905 21st Ave., https://www.sacredspaceastoria.com/

Pancakes Records: 20-77 Steinway St., https://pancakes-records.com/

Astor Apiaries: 33-22 23rd Ave., https://astorapiaries.com/