Ottawa, OH (WLIO) - Ottawa-Glandorf Swing Choir was making the 2022 Small Businesses Saturday a little bit special with their rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. But, so were a whole lot of other people to support Ottawa businesses that day, like Beckman’s Jewelers. The business has been a community staple for over 125 years and owner Greg Beckman says his customers mean everything to him and his business.
“The customers here just continue to come back and it’s sort of a trust that has been built for those 125 years,” adds Beckman. “They know the answers that they're going to get, they can trust the service we provide.”
That trust comes from knowing their customers, and vice versa. Which is why Chris Haselman, the owner of Always Blessed feels fortunate to operate in Ottawa.
“This is a very a close-knit community,” adds Haselman. “And it is so nice to be able to and it is so nice to be able to come in and greet people by name and they greet us by name. They know our families and we know their families. Someone can call in and ask for something and we can just say, ‘OK the bill is at the counter whenever you come in.’ You can’t do that at big box stores. It’s pay online and you don’t know the quality you get. Where here they get to hold it in their hand and say this is what I want.”
Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday has become an important part of small businesses during the busiest shopping season with a projected total spending of over $23 billion dollars. But for small businesses in Ottawa, the big support they get is not just once a year.
“I wouldn’t want to own a business because I know the community because the community will continue to come out and support us no matter what the time of year. Spring, Summer, Fall and especially the 4th quarter at Christmas,” says Beckman.
Which is relationship that everyone in Ottawa is proud of.
