Caverns to Host 'Small Business Saturday' Event

The holidays should be a time of good cheer for all merchants, but have felt left out in the cold by the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and mega-sales that increasingly draw shoppers away from Main Streets after Thanksgiving.

In response to this trend, in 2010 American Express created a shopping holiday called "Small Business Saturday," which "encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local," according to Wikipedia.

The company has promoted Small Business Saturday via an advertising campaign that includes ads on Patch.com home pages, and this year a Hellertown business is also joining the small business support system by hosting a special gathering of local artists and non-profit organizations in conjunction with the Nov. 26 holiday.

, which draws thousands of visitors to the Saucon Valley each year, is hosting the event to help encourage local residents to shop small and shop local, according to co-owner Beverly Rosewicz.

In its visitor's center lobby, the caverns will host artist Jackie Shearer of "Save a Tree" and members of the Saucon Creek Watershed Association from 9:30 to 11:30am.

Shearer specializes in creating jewelry, pillows, paper and other unique items by recycling various materials, and the watershed association seeks to promote clean water awareness and education at the local level via workshops, clean-ups and visual stream assessments.

Volunteers from the watershed association will have both rain barrel rainwater conservation kits and bluebird houses available for sale.

From 2:30 to 5pm, artist and Hellertown resident Joie Gates will showcase her unique handmade leather creations, jewelry and art.

Gates' online business, which is called Heron Tales, produces items that are both eye-pleasing and functional, and she says the colors she chooses for her designs are meant to feed the soul.

Also from 2:30 to 5pm, members of will have a table set up where they will sell their homemade beer bread and bean soup mixes. The Women's Club is a non-profit organization that raises funds to support scholarships for high school seniors, continuing education and other initiatives.

From noon to 2pm eastern Pennsylvania-based Allegro Flutes will perform holiday favorites to help shoppers and visitors relax and enjoy the day.

Adjacent to the visitor's center is Lost River Caverns' expansive gift shop, which sells souvenirs, jewelry, gemstones, minerals, lapidary equipment and more.

For more information about Small Business Saturday, visit www.smallbusinesssaturday.com or the holiday's Facebook page.