Sacramento businesses take advantage of promotion

Small businesses are popping up across the country, offering consumers everything from consulting to jewelry. Considering the number of businesses being seen across Sacramento, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership is giving consumers yet another reason to shop.

The organization represents businesses in the area and announced that during 10 days in September, the company will run a shop local and small campaign that is meant to bring more attention to small businesses in the area and increase their revenue and sales figures.

Consumers will save 10 percent on all purchases at the "Bring a Friend" promotion that will run from September 13 to 22. Customers will also save 20 percent if they are shopping with a friend.

“‘Bring a Friend’ gives locals a taste of our shopping experience on the grid and the personalities who make our district unique,” said Lisa Martinez, the partnership’s marketing director. “Half of the businesses participating in the promotion are new, having opened within the past year and half.”

A few of the participating businesses will be BellaVue, Chefs' Olive Oil Mix and Chef's Mercantile. According to the downtown partnership organization, a study conducted two years ago found that there were significant opportunities for growth, and about a quarter of the new businesses that have opened since last year are soft-goods stores.

“We’re starting to see a new generation of small businesses moving into downtown and especially Old Sacramento,” said Valerie Mamone-Werder, the district’s retail recruitment and retention manager. “We’ve always had a strong mix of entertainment and dining destinations, but soft-good retailers are now seeing the urban core as a desirable location.”

Considering the great opportunities that were available for small businesses in the downtown area of Sacramento, the Central City and East Sacramento regions had saw a decrease in retail vacancy rate of 3.52 percent. The entire region showed a 9.83 percent retail vacancy rate, the district reported.

Small businesses marketing is being made easy for startup companies in Sacramento. Companies around the country that are just starting could also look to Google AdWords and Google Analytics to market their business for free if they are strapped for cash.