Shop Local on Small Business Saturday

Just what is Small Business Saturday and why should you support it in Hatboro and Horsham?

Big name national retailers take the spotlight on Black Friday as their deep price cuts pull in shoppers in droves. What about those mom-and-pop businesses all over Hatboro and beyond that are the backbone of America’s economy? Just when do they get their day? That’s basically the question that was asked back in 2010 when the concept of Small Business Saturday was born. Small Business Saturday is “a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities,” the U.S. Small Business Administration explains on its Web site. American Express gets the credit for founding the shopping holiday, which got its official start on Nov. 27, 2010, according to the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. Celebrating its third …

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Patch Partners Supports Small Businesses in Hatboro

AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong gives advice to small business owners via Patch Partners.

There are 200 small businesses along York Road in Hatboro. Some of them may be places you and your family frequent, businesses that have been in Hatboro for as long as you can remember. And some may be your go-to places instead of national chains. AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong may stand behind a global brand, but he believes in the power of small businesses. In his recent interview with Patch Partners, a Web site connecting business owners to Patch in local communities, he offered his insight into what can set a small business apart from the rest of the competition. Small businesses can hold a lot of power if they are intuitive with their customer base, Armstrong said. “Small businesses can be nimble and can have intimate …

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Meet the Business Owner

Hatboro Spa Puts Clients ‘In Good Hands’

Five former employees of Spa Escape have branched off in a new Hatboro-based business, In Good Hands Salon and Spa.

Business owner Bruce Levine is laser focused on building. Levine, of Huntingdon Valley, chose to stay and build anew in Hatboro instead of staying with his former employer, Spa Escape in Hatboro, or relocating to Horsham as part of a new salon run by the same owner as Spa Escape. "I looked at 50 places in Hatboro," he said, adding that 101 E. Moreland Ave., suite 3, home of his business, In Good Hands Salon and Spa, "lent itself very well." But, a building would be nothing without people to provide services. Levine, a massage therapist of 17 years, brought with him four fellow colleagues of Spa Escape to serve in a “tiered system of managers.” Together, Levine and company opened In Good Hands at the beginning of November. “They’ve been …

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Will You Shop on Black Friday?

Tell us by voting in the poll.

Are you someone who wakes up at the crack of dawn (or doesn't go to bed) to take advantage of Black Friday sales? Or do you avoid after-Thanksgiving shopping like the plague?  Tell us by voting in the poll.

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Where to Find the Best Black Friday Deals - on Thanksgiving

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday rule the shopping roost after Thanksgiving.

If you have a black belt in Black Friday shopping, listen up: area big-box retailers are gearing up to dazzle bargain hunters even earlier this year—starting on Thanksgiving Day! Walmart announced recently that it would open its doors at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22 and offer holiday doorbusters while supplies last. These include deals on TVs, iPads, an electric scooter for $79 and a steam mop for $39. Not to be outdone, Target and Best Buy are also planning all-out holiday shopping assaults. Target's deals begin at 9 p.m. According to an ad leaked online, the best deals will be for TVs, a Nook, a Nikon camera and an XBOX 360 Kinect bundle. At Best Buy, doors open at midnight. Doorbusters include deals on TVs, phones and Samsung laptop …

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Tips for Disaster Recovery for Small Business Owners

Hurricane Sandy has caused severe damage to many local businesses. if you're a small business owner, here's some helpful advice for how to recover.

1) File insurance claims as soon as possible, if you haven't already done so. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers important advice and tips for filing your claim. The National Flood Insurance Program also provides information on filing a flood insurance claim. 2) The SBA offers several low-interest, long-term disaster loans to small businesses in declared disaster areas, including business physical disaster loans and economic injury disaster loans. You can apply for loans up to $2 million for both uninsured and underinsured damages. You can apply directly online. Once submitted, the SBA will send an inspector to estimate the cost of damage. 3) Apply for tax relief if needed, which will allow for expedited returns or …

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Sweet! Hatboro Dentists Buy Back Halloween Candy

Two Hatboro dental practices are participating in the Halloween Candy Buy-Back, which ships excess candy to troops.

Are you worried that your kids' smarties and skittles will be cluttering your kitchen counter until Easter? Area dentists - including two in Hatboro - are offering up a deal as sweet as the confections kids collected en masse while trick-or-treating. For kids (and parents) looking to thin their household's Halloween candy collection, participating dentists will pay $1 for each pound of candy collected. The national Halloween Candy Buy-Back program, as part of Operation Gratitude, then ships candy as part of care packages, to troops. According to its Web site, Operation Gratitude hopes to send 60,000 care packages this year and needs "tons of candy, literally" to fill them. Last year the group sent out 125 tons of candy. Mike Koumaras and …

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Meet the Business Owner

New Horsham Pizzeria Slices Up Variety

Pizza Mista opened recently at the site of Giuliano's Brick Oven Pizza & Trattoria on Easton Road in Horsham.

Luigi Romano kneads and tosses pizza dough like he's been doing it all his life.  Probably because he has been. Romano, who moved from Italy to Pennsylvania at age 12, opened his first pizza shop in Doylestown at 16 years old. "This is all I know how to do," Romano tells Patch in his unmistakable accent. "I love to cook." But, much has changed since the then budding restaurateur made his first pizza pie. He's owned his share of casual fare pizza shops and fine dining Italian eateries in Philadelphia, Maryland and New Jersey. So many in fact, that Romano said he has lost track of how many restaurants he's owned, operated and traded in for something new.  He and his wife Vanda and three kids moved back to Horsham recently after running …

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