Small businesses are the source of community life

Topic: “Sustainability and Persistence of American Entrepreneurs.” National Small Business Weekwhich is taking place this week, and it may just as easily be the subject of small business stories that have recently been covered in our newspapers.

Few have demonstrated the quality of entrepreneurship better – or for more years – than Uwe Bauer, a silversmith in the Potstown area who is closing his store this month after 50 years in business. business profile from staff writer Evan Brandt in The Mercury.

Bower, who was born in Germany, came to work on jewelry making as a hobby that grew. He and his wife Margaret, also known for her four decades of working helping clients at Montgomery County social security offices, first sold jewelry at flea markets and then opened a store in Collegeville.

They are located at 2452 E High St. in Sanataz since 1979. Silver Shoppe is both a place for lovers of handmade jewelry and a community where people come to talk.

“We had people here in tears,” Bauer said of the closure. “We were approached by a client from Hermontown, Maryland, when he heard we were closing. It’s a three-hour drive. “

Similarly, Neil Weaver, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, went to the Reading area businesses, starting Small Business Week, featuring shops and restaurants thriving in fellowship with locals.

Weaver visited several Reading establishments – each belonging to a minority – and began his tour with a sample of ice cream at Great American Creamery. Owner Balacias Lahaniatis said he opened an ice cream shop in Quarter 600 on Penn Street in February and offers ice cream manually from Berkey Creamery of Penn State University.

He and his wife Lucin Sichelnik wanted to open a business in downtown Reading because they feel the city is ready to return and they want to be part of the renaissance. This was reported by Lahaniatis to Reading Eagle correspondent Karen Shui.

Weaver spoke about the value of small business at a press conference at the American Academy of Hairdressers and Beauty. He said that for every $ 100 spent in a small business, $ 48 goes back to the local economy where the business is located, compared to $ 14 for every $ 100 spent in a national retail store.

Calling small business “the backbone of our economy,” he said, “I encourage every Pennsylvania resident to take Small Business Week as an opportunity to support their favorite local businesses by visiting, shopping online, giving positive feedback online and tagging them on social media. ”

Weaver said the Wolff administration had chosen Reading as the first destination in a week-long trip around the state. “This city is an amazing variety of small businesses with owners from different backgrounds,” he said. “It’s a place where small businesses build and shape the community they’re in, and we’ve seen that today.”

Weaver said small businesses contribute to the culture and fabric of the communities in which they live. They provide a sense of place and local identity in addition to the economic benefits they bring.

Indeed, Bauer’s “Silver Shop” has drastic effects that fuel both the economy and the sense of pride and belonging in the Potstown area. No one ever said she went to Target because the owner who was expecting her knew her name as a child and may have given her a free sample of ice cream or a tiny silver chain to save. The local small business is doing this, and 50 years later the community is complaining about the closure of the store as a personal loss.

Small Business Week draws attention to local business owners when they invest in communities, hire people with local connections and give in partnership with nonprofits. Small businesses need our support, not only this week, when their contribution is recognized, but every week.