SINCE 2010, THE SATURDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING HAS BEEN KNOWN AS
"SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY".
AN INITIATIVE BY AMERICAN EXPRESS, IT'S A WAY TO HIGHLIGHT
AND SUPPORT LOCAL STORES AND MOM-AND-POP SHOPS THAT SOMETIMES
GET OVERLOOKED BECAUSE OF THE MALL OR INTERNET SHOPPING.
THOSE INVOLVED SAY IT'S ALL IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE COMMUNITIES
STRONGER.
HERE TO SHARE MORE IS LOLO RESKIN, OWNER OF SWEAT RECORDS
IN MIAMI AND CO-HOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA PBS' "ART LOFT."
NICE TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, PAM.
FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING SELECTED AS ONE OF THE
STORES TO HIGH LIGHT FOR SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE AN INSTAGRAM PAGE THAT YOU ARE FEATURED ON
THE INSTAGRAM PAGE WHICH IS REALLY COOL.
YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WAS A COOL EXPERIENCE FOR THEM TO REACH OUT TO US AND SAY
THEY WANTED US TO BE ONE OF THE BUSINESSES TO REPRESENT SMALL
BUSINESSES NATIONALLY.
THAT IS SO NEAT.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, LET'S TALK ABOUT SWEAT BECAUSE SOME
PEOPLE MAY BE WATCHING AND NEVER HEARD OF IT.
THAT WAS AN OLD PICTURE OF THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR STORE OUTSIDE.
COME CHECK YOU OUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A NEW LOOK.
YES, WE HAVE A MURAL OUTSIDE THE STORE, IT'S VERY
DISTINCTIVE.
WE'RE ALWAYS MAKING IMPROVEMENTS AS MOST SMALL BUSINESS.
WHAT IS SWEAT RECORDS?
WE ARE A COMMUNITY-ORIENTED RECORDS STORE.
WE SPECIFICALLY STARTED TO SPECIFICALLY SERVE THE NEEDS OF
MIAMI'S MUSIC LOVERS.
SINCE WE OPENED IN 2005, WE HAVE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED, IMPROVED
AND SHIFTED OUR PRODUCT MIX TO MOST ACCURATELY REFLECT WHAT WE
KNOW THAT OUR LOCAL FAN BASE AND AWESOME TOURISTS WHO COME
THROUGH MIAMI ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING.
WHEN WE OPENED, WE WERE 50/50 C.D. AND A VINYL IN 2005, NOW
WE'RE ALMOST ALL VINYL, WHICH IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE WANT.
TALK ABOUT THE SHIFT TO FINAL.
PEOPLE LOVE IT.
IT'S ANALOG AND TACK TILE AND COMPLETE OPPOSITE FROM THE
DIGITAL MUSIC, WHICH IS AMAZING AND AVAILABLE AND YOU CAN LISTEN
TO ANYTHING YOU WANT IN THE WORLD, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING
VERY SPECIAL AND REAL ABOUT HAVING YOUR FAVORITE RECORD IN
PERSON, IN YOUR HANDS, BEING ABLE TO TAKE OUT OF THE SLEEVE
YOUR RECORD AND DANCE AROUND.
AND OPENING UP THE JACKET AND READING THE LYRICS TO THE SONG.
I DON'T KNOW THE LYRICS ANYMORE JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT
OPPORTUNITY.
TALK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR
THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR BUSINESSES LIKE YOURS.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT MOVEMENT.
ANYTHING THAT CELEBRATES SMALL BUSINESS TO ME IS CRUCIAL AND
IMPORTANT.
MIAMI'S ALWAYS KIND OF IN THE TOP TEN OF CITIES THAT HAVE
INCREDIBLE SMALL BUSINESS PRESENCE AND GROWTH, AND, TO ME,
SMALL BUSINESSES ARE TRULY THE SOUL OF THEIR COMMUNITIES.
IT'S PLACES LIKE BOOKS AND BOOKS AND, YOU KNOW, SO MANY OTHERS
AROUND MIAMI THAT REALLY ADD LOCAL FLAVOR, MAKE THINGS
SPECIAL, ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITIES AND, TO ME, THOSE
PLACES ARE SO WORTH SPENDING MY MONEY AT.
YOU KNOW, I LOVE -- I'LL WAIT TO BUY A BOOK TO SEE IF I CAN MAKE
IT BY BOOKS AND BOOKS TO BUY A COPY THERE AS OPPOSED TO ONLINE
BECAUSE I THINK IT'S WORTH SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE
THAT.
THE SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, IT'S COOL BECAUSE THERE ARE
BUSINESSES LIKE AMERICAN EXPRESS SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES.
THEY HAVE LEGS.
SINCE 2010, THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF MATERIALS ON THEIR WEB SITE
TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE YOURS GET THE WORD OUT, HEY,
WE'RE HERE AND OPEN ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY.
YES, THERE ARE TOOLS PEOPLE CAN LOOK UP, BUSINESSES IN THEIR
AREA, SEND SWAG PIECES AND OVER TO HAND OUT.
IT'S A VERY COOL MOVEMENT.
FOR US, WITH SWEAT, WE HAVE RECORD STORE AT A, BLACK FRIDAY,
WHICH IS ANOTHER MOVEMENT NATIONALLY TO HELP SUPPORT
SPECIFICALLY RECORD STORES.
YEAH, AND ONE OF THE STATISTICS, TOO, FROM SMALL
BUSINESS SATURDAY, WHICH IT'S BEEN EIGHT YEARS NOW, SAYS 90%
OF CONSUMERS SURVEYED SAYS SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY HAS BEEN A
POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S REALLY COOL.
I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES, WOULD YOU SAY, FOR YOU?
ANY BUSINESS THAT HAS A FISCAL SPACE, THERE'S JUST A
WHOLE EXTRA LAYER OF THINGS YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, PERMITTING,
HOURS, STAFFING AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT AREN'T AS MUCH CONCERN
IF YOU'RE RUNNING AN ONLINE BUSINESS.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
IT'S A LOT OF WORK, BUT THE FACT WE DO GET TO INTERACT IN PERSON,
FACE TO FACE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS, HAVE THESE INCREDIBLE
INTERACTIONS AND MOMENTS AND CONNECTIONS WITH THEM IS
LITERALLY WHAT MAKES IT WORTHWHILE BECAUSE WE'VE MET SO
MANY WONDERFUL FRIENDS JUST FROM BEING AT THE RECORD SHOP.
I MET MY PARTNER THERE.
LITERALLY WE'VE SEEN SO MUCH MAGIC HAPPEN WITHIN THE WALLS OF
OUR STORY AND THAT IS AWESOME.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER SMALL BUSINESSES?
I WOULD PACKAGE YOU SUPPORT ONE OTHER AND TALK ABOUT THE
BUSINESSES TO CUSTOMERS SO YOU CAN SHARE THE WEALTH, SHARE THE
GOOD NEWS ABOUT SOME OF THESE GREAT PLACES TO GO SHOP, RIGHT?
ABSOLUTELY.
WE SEE OURSELVES AS AMBASSADORS FOR THE WHOLE AREA, PRETTY MUCH.
YOU KNOW, WE GET PEOPLE -- MUSIC LOVERS, ONE TO HAVE THE FIRST
PLACE THEY WILL HIT WHEN THEY MOVE TO THE NEW CITY IS THE
LOCAL RECORD STORE.
WE'RE THAT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
WE'LL SAY, YOU LIKE BIKES?
CHECK OUT THIS BIKE SHOP UP THE STREET.
LAST FEBRUARY, WE CREATED THE FIRST IN MY LIFETIME MAP TO THE
LOCAL PHYSICAL BRICK AND MORTAR SHOPS IN THE AREA.
BETWEEN MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE THERE'S ABOUT
TEN OF US?
THAT'S AMAZING.
YES.
WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
REAL QUICK, TALK ABOUT YOUR CHALLENGES WITH YOUR BUSINESS ON
SPOTIFY.
WE LOVE SPOTIFY.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY TOOL.
I PAY FOR IT AND LOVE IT.
THAT'S HOW I DISCOVER WHAT I LOVE SO MUCH THAT I AM OBSESSED
TO LOVE SO MUCH AND BUY IN VINYL AND BRING INTO MY HOUSE.
MOST OF THE VINYL IS WHAT I HEARD ON SPOTIFY.
THANKS FOR COMING IN AND BEING AN AMBASSADOR.
SPAWL SMALL IS THE SATURDAY AFTER
THANKSGIVING, NOVEMBER 24.
FOR MORE INFO ON HOW YOU CAN "SHOP SMALL," VISIT -
SHOPSMALL.COM.
WE'LL HAVE MORE INFO ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, @YOURSOUTHFL.