Shop Locally in Wellesley on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24

Start your holiday shopping at locally owned stores during Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 24 this year, two days after Thanksgiving. It is a day for everyone to support the small businesses that their community thrives on. American Express founded the day in 2010 to help small businesses get exposure during the holiday season, when they might be otherwise overlooked. With retailers buzzing around the holidays, it is important to support local small businesses that rely on their neighbors in order to continue prospering and building the local economy in Wellesley. The American Express Shop Small website lists almost 100 Wellesley businesses participating this year. Among them (in no particular order): See the full list on their site. You can also “like” Small Business Saturday on Facebook by …

• Photos (1)

Is Black Friday Shopping For You?

When people start lining up late Thanksgiving night to take advantage of door-buster deals in the wee hours Friday morning, will you be there?

Love it or hate it, Black Friday is the super bowl of shopping. And with its arrival only mere days away, Wellesley is abuzz with people talking about the potential savings stores big and small have to offer. Some people create their own Black Friday “game plans” on what stores to hit and when after they've poured over the announced bargains various retailers have to offer. There are those so keen on saving they set alarms to wake them up in the wee hours of the night. These folks line up early and some even camp out all night to be able to scoop up the deals they’re after. Are you one of those shoppers? Do you do Black Friday or do you prefer to stay as far away from stores on the day after Thanksgiving as possible?

• Photos (1)

Wellesley Restaurants: Who's Open on Thanksgiving?

Patch wants to know which local restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving.

  While many people have the big Thanksgiving dinner at home with their families not everyone likes to make their own turkey with all the fixings in their own kitchen. Wellesley Patch is putting together a list of local restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving. If you have a special menu, send it over to me at Grahame.Turner@patch.com and we'll be sure to include it!

• Photos (1)

Share Your Small Business Saturday Deals with Patch

Wellesley Patch is compiling a list of Small Business Saturday deals. Share yours here.

Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 24 this year, two days after Thanksgiving. It is a day for everyone to support the small businesses their community thrives on. This year, Wellesley Patch is putting together a list of local Small Business Saturday deals.  If you are a small business owner, leave your deal in the comments section below, and it will be added to the list. You can also email your deal to Wellesley@patch.com or send a message on Facebook. American Express founded the day in 2010 to help small businesses get exposure during the holiday season, when they might be otherwise overlooked. With retailers buzzing around the holidays, it is important to support local small businesses that rely on their neighbors in order to continue …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Where to Find Last Minute Christmas Trees

Locations for Christmas trees in and around town.

It’s only days until Christmas…have you purchased a tree yet? If not, don’t worry! Patch has scoured the area for nearby venues selling Christmas trees. Look through our interactive map to find out who is selling trees in your neck of the woods.

• Photos (1)

A Father and Son Team of Jewelers On Washington Street

At H&A Jewelers, Harry and Ozzie Terzian sell and repair new and vintage pieces along with their own handmade designs.

Harry Terzian learned his trade more than 40 years ago as a young man in Yerevan, Armenia, where he began turning precious metals and loose gems into beautiful jewelry. He emigrated to Watertown with his wife and two children in 1988, and honed his skills making and repairing jewelry first at Long’s Jewelers and then at Barmakian Jewelers in Framingham. But as his son Asad, known as Ozzie, grew up and also got involved in the jewelry business, the two set their sights on a store of their own. And since many of the customers who Terzian had come to know over his years designing and making jewelry were from Wellesley, the father and son targeted it as a choice location to get started. Three years ago they opened H&A Jewelers at 260 …

• Photos (5)

POLL: Are You Shopping on Black Friday?

It's Black Friday, did you hit the stores?

Named for the color used to show that businesses have turned a profit, "Black Friday" has become a bellwether for predicting how well the holiday shopping season will be. The first official day of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday and its deep discounts offered by most retailers usually draw hordes of deal-hunting shoppers and could be a sign of a rebound in consumer spending. Others, meanwhile, prefer to beat the crowds by staying at home. So, which are you — a deal hunter, or someone who avoids Black Friday? Let us know by casting a vote in our poll. And if you are shopping on Friday, let us know where in the comment section below!

• Photos (4)

Wellesley Bank CEO Honored with ‘Good Scout’ Award

The award is given to someone who annually has been active with community service.

Thomas J. Fontaine, CEO and President of Wellesley Bank, was honored at a ceremony last month with the Good Scout award for community service by a local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America Fontaine works with several community groups and organizations in Wellesley including the Rotary Club, Wellesley Education Foundation and the library. David Himmelberger presented the award on behalf of the Good Scout Committee at the Oct. 27 breakfast. The award is given to someone who has demonstrated the “spirit of scouting” through service to others, according to a statement.

• Photos (1)

Mom's Moment

The Square’s Small Businesses

Columnist Deb Robi reminds that there are dozens of places to shop during the holiday season.

Are you a local shopper? It's easy to be one in Wellesley and coming up a week from Saturday it's a national holiday of sorts for those who enjoy spending dollars nearby. Yes, we have "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday." Now comes "Small Business Saturday", on Nov. 26. Its name says it all: shop small! If you're going to shop anyway, then stimulate the local economy. American Express is offering an incentive too. Shoppers are eligible for $25 back if they register their card via the Facebook page. The list of "small shopping" in Wellesley is big. Several small businesses rely on the holiday season to sustain their brick and mortar existences. In this down economy, if residents shop small, it will be huge. In addition to the effort to support…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Deb Robi

12:49 pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Another charitable event for Wellesley: just learned about "Giving Thanks & Giving Back" this Thursday from 6-8:00 p.m. At Potpourri Designs, 8 Church Street. Wine tastings, entertaining demonstrations. A percentage of the evening's proceeds to benefit the Wellesley Food Pantry. You should GO!   more ›

Selectmen Approve Free Holiday Parking for Extra Week

The Board of Selectmen has extended the free holiday parking this year based on merchants' requests.

Shoppers will be able to park at metered spaces free of charge for three weeks this holiday season. The Board of Selectmen approved a measure Oct. 31 to allow free parking for an extra week compared to prior years. Selectman Ellen Gibbs read a motion announcing that meters will be shut off between Dec. 12 and Jan. 12, 2012. Traditionally, meters at 2-hour and 4-hour spaces are shut off as a courtesy to shoppers and merchants for only the weeks before and after Christmas. This year, that period has been extended. “[Merchants] have asked for a slightly longer period of time this year,” Board Chair Barbara Searle said. The free parking does not apply to commuter lots, according to Searle.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)