U.S Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Small Business Administration Deputy Director Julio Casiano visited numerous West Hartford Center businesses Tuesday to promote the ‘Shop Small’ campaign.

By Ronni Newton

As a prelude to Small Business Saturday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Small Business Administration (SBA) Deputy Director Julio Casiano took a tour of West Hartford Center with Mayor Shari Cantor, visiting numerous small businesses that buyers are being asked to support throughout the holiday season.

“Small business is the economic backbone of our community,” Blumenthal said.

Many of the storeowners were pleasantly shocked at the visit by Connecticut’s senior U.S. Senator, but all jumped at the opportunity to provide a brief explanation of their business and what they do for the local community.

At the women-owned business SIGHT, Iveta Guerrera told Blumenthal that in addition to doing eye exams and selling glasses, the business offers vision therapy and works with patients who have suffered concussions.

Maurice Kaoud spoke to Blumenthal about the family-owned rug business, but also mentioned that he had just purchased garland and lights for the Town Green on Monday after noticing a lack of festive decorations in that area.

“That’s it in a nutshell,” Blumenthal told Kaoud, noting the type of direct impact local business owners can have on their community.

“We want to give faces to small businesses, and the benefits they bring to the state,” Blumenthal said.

Employees at Philip David Jewelers explained their support of local artists, as well as the recent success of the We Care Card – sales of which benefitted Foodshare while at the same time giving shoppers a discount at participating merchants.

Kimberly Moster at Kimberly Boutique told Blumenthal all about how great a community West Hartford is, explaining how she immediately felt it was the right place to open her store. “I’ll never leave it; I love it,” she said.

The group visited Silver Dahlia, where one of Blumenthal’s aides decided to buy his mother a gift.

Toy Chest Manager Ed Dunn told Blumenthal that they were definitely fully geared up for the holiday season. ”

We’ve been here 60 years, because it’s the right area and the right customers,” Dunn said.

Blumenthal’s last stops were Cookshop Plus and Lux Bond & Green.

At Cookshop Plus the group chatted with co-owner Terry Ryan, and learned how the family-owned business was coping with running one store in West Hartford and the other in Australia.

“This is our busiest time of the year,” Lux Bond & Green Store Manager Annie Kovath said before the staff posed for photos with Blumenthal, Casiano, and Cantor.

This is the eighth year of the Small Business Saturday campaign, designed to focus on the vibrant community of small, local businesses that are the foundation of the economy. It’s the fourth time that Blumenthal has gone on a walking tour of some of the state’s small businesses, Casiano said.

“Small Business Saturday is about supporting local businesses and creating jobs in communities all across America,” U.S. SBA Administrator Linda McMahon said in a news release. “Shopping small this Saturday is the perfect opportunity for Americans to support their local community businesses and promote growth and vitality to America’s booming economy during this holiday season and throughout the coming year.”

For more Small Business Saturday details visit https://www.sba.gov/saturday.