HOOKSETT – The 15th annual Small Business Saturday is set for Nov. 30. Created in 2010 by American Express and co-sponsored by the Small Business Administration since 2011, Small Business Saturday is a day designated for shopping at the nearly 32 million small, independently owned retailers and restaurants throughout the country.
If you are looking for a unique gift this holiday season, there are a number of small businesses in our community that specialize in products that are made, grown, raised, and produced right here in the Granite State.
There are many reasons to shop small and eat local, saidAmy Bassett, district director of the New Hampshire Small Business Administration.
When you spent your money at locally owned retailers and restaurants, “it’s going to your neighbors,” she said. “It’s going to your neighbors who might employ other neighbors. It’s an investment in your community.”
According to American Express’s 2022 Small Business Economic Impact Study, 68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S. stay in the local community. And every dollar spent at small businesses creates an additional 48 cents in local business activity as a result of employees and local businesses purchasing local goods and services.
In other words, the money you spend here, stays here.
In addition to the economic boost, small businesses also create jobs and lead to more vibrant towns and stronger communities, said Bassett. “If everyone set a personal goal to go downtown and do some holiday shopping, that would be really impactful.”
Whether you are looking to gift someone a cute New Hampshire-shaped refrigerator magnet or enough locally raised meat to last an entire year, these local retailers have you covered.
Little Vintage Venue is a charming little store in downtown Suncook. Housed in the former post office, Little Vintage Venue sells vintage items and antiques, upcycled home decor, and lots of New Hampshire-made products. Here you will find handmade pottery from Pembroke; coffee from Londonderry; candles made in Suncook and Gilford; chocolate, jams, and jellies from Manchester, tea from Candia; beeswax candles and birdhouses from Newington; and handmade woodworking items from Allenstown.
Owner Katie Booker manages a roster of about 40 local vendors and crafters, which she says is like having 40 employees.
“It’s a lot of work,” she said, “but it’s a labor of love.”
Many of these vendors will have sales throughout the holiday season, Booker confirms, and the store will offer a 10 percent discount on Small Business Saturday. She will also give away canvas tote bags provided by American Express to officially registered Small Business Saturday locations.
Booker said December is her busiest month, driven by holiday shoppers who are looking for something “personalized, not commercialized ... More people want to shop small businesses. They would rather support a small business than a big box store.”
What began as a movement to shop small now includes eating locally as well, and a number of the region’s small businesses specialize in locally grown, raised, and produced food.
Johnson Golden Harvest in Hooksett is a farm market that sells fresh produce and meat from small family farms throughout the Granite State. Co-owned by the husband-and-wife team of Brian and Karen Johnson, the market stocks seasonal fruits and vegetables and pasture-raised meats, including grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, bison, venison, elk, and chicken. They also sell cage-free eggs, raw milk and cheeses, local baked goods, and other New Hampshire-made items.
“The idea of supporting local businesses is really important to us,” said Brian Johnson. “Every dollar spent (at Johnson Golden Harvest) gets put right back into the community. We are all about community.”
He expects an uptick in business over the holiday season and is currently taking orders for free-range fresh turkeys from Vermont’s Misty Knoll Farm as well as fresh bread, rolls, and a variety of fruit pies. Johnson Golden Harvest is offering a range of gluten-free goodies as well, including chocolate cream pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, blueberry crumb pie, and apple pie.
Johnson hopes you’ll consider the farm market for a different holiday staple; starting on Black Friday through the holiday season, he’ll be selling fresh-cut, New Hampshire-grown Christmas trees from Beloin Farm in Colebrook.
“Come in,” he said. “We will be here. It’s all about shopping local.”
On the other side of the Merrimack River is The Robie Store, reopened in August 2023 by father and son duo Tim and Lee Robie. The store is stocked with pasture-raised meats, cheese, and milk from the Robie’s family farm in Piermont, NH. Robie Farm has been in continuous operation since 1870 and adheres to a strict policy: Everything is humanely raised, growth hormone-free, all natural, and locally grown.
“When we say ‘sustainable farming,’ it’s not just a slogan for us,” said co-owner Tim Robie.“It’s something we take seriously. We intend for this farm to sustain.”
For this reason, he said, Robie’s “would never dream of spraying any herbicide, biocide, or other chemicals. For our own selfish reasons, we would never use them.”
If you are looking for a unique holiday gift, Robie said they regularly sell “half a steer, quarter of a steer, half a pig.”
They sell sides of beef and pork at special savings not just for the holidays but year-round. “Probably once a week,” Robie said.
The Robie Store is currently taking orders for fresh farm-raised turkeys as well as locally made pies. Last year was the Robie’s first Thanksgiving in operation, and they weren’t quite prepared to meet the community’s expectations. “Historically, people would come (to the previous iteration of Robie’s) for pies, and the line would be out the door,” he said. “Last year, I wasn’t prepared for hundreds of pies, but this year I have a company – Red Door Bakery – that will make them locally, from scratch.”
The Robie Store is also part general store, and all items sold meet the Robie’s high standards.
They do not sell anything with seed oil or high fructose corn syrup. Like Little Vintage Venue, The Robie Store mostly offers items made in New Hampshire. You can purchase coffee from Wolfeboro, maple syrup from Haverhill, hot sauce from Manchester, and caramels from Hanover. You can also find all-natural artisan bar soap made in Candia, shampoo from Cornish, and even soap made from the tallow and milk from Robie Farm. Locally made pottery, candles, and Robie Store merchandise is also available.
“We are a local, family-owned business that supports other local, family-owned businesses,” said Robie.
When you need to take a break from all the holiday shopping, this region boasts several independent, family-owned restaurants with their own unique flair.
The other half of The Robie Store’s business is the restaurant, which Tim Robie admits is “a poor model for a restaurant because we use nothing but the highest quality meats, cheeses, and eggs.”
The Robie Store’s kitchen is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The menu is available for dining in or taking out. Breakfast includes Robie Farm-raised bacon, ham, and sausage, eggs, and pancakes. Stop by for lunch and indulge in Robie Farm burgers, BLTs, veggie wraps, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Farm-to-table fare is also the hallmark of Hooksett’s New England’s Tap House Grill. The restaurant regularly uses produce grown at its sister location, Hip Peas Farm, also in Hooksett. From seasonal vegetables to farm-grown edible flowers, the ingredients that come “straight from the farm are endless,” said marketing director Nancy Comai.
This time of year, “the kitchen goes crazy,” she added.
From Thanksgiving through Christmas, The Tap House also offers pies, carrot cake, cookie and brownie platters, and fresh-baked rolls.
But the highlight of their seasonal offerings is their traditional French Canadian meat pie.
“We sell hundreds of them,” Comai said.
The Tap House will be open extended hours during Thanksgiving week, opening at 11:00 a.m. for lunch on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They will also begin their holiday gift card promotion: For every $25 gift card purchased, receive an additional $5 gift card to use at a later date. On Black Friday, that promotion is doubled to $10.
A relative newcomer to the dining scene is Shirley’s Kitchen in Suncook, just down the street from Little Vintage Venue. Established last year by the husband-and-wife team of Bonnie and Jae Shirley, Shirley’s Kitchen is open for breakfast and lunch, Wednesday through Sunday.
Although they offer the typical American fare – bacon and eggs, omelets, pancakes, and French toast for breakfast and smash burgers, tacos, and sandwiches for lunch –- there is a growing fan base for their Korean-inspired dishes. Jae Shirley is half Korean, and he often incorporates the food of his childhood when creating new menu items.
“We offer Korean food that is approachable,” he said. “There’s not a lot of Korean food in New Hampshire, and I think we are opening people’s minds and taste buds. People have been very receptive to it.”
One of their most popular breakfast items is the Seoul Skillet, two poached eggs over a slow- cooked brisket with kimchi, pickled red onion, and home fries and drizzled with a Go Chu Jang sauce.
Whether you order Korean or American food, the Shirleys hope you feel right at home in their establishment.
“We want you to feel like you are just coming to your friend’s house,” said Jae Shirley.
This sense of community permeates all the small businesses in the region, and that is another benefit of shopping small, said SBA’s Bassett. “When you shift to shopping and dining local, you are supporting and strengthening your community. Make it a part of what you do. It should be a year-long thing.”
Robie agrees. “People say we have a global economy, but I don’t accept that,” he says. “It’s you and me – little people –changing our habits. That’s all that needs to be done.”
