Partnership between Boston, technology provider aims to help local businesses during holidays

On Small Business Saturday, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced a new partnership with Main and Me, a provider of web and mobile technology, to help local, independent businesses expand during the holiday season.

Using the website or a smart phone, shoppers are able to virtually browse through goods offered by local businesses, according to a Saturday press release. Menino said he is hopeful this new site will help local businesses prosper.

“Social media has played a central role in helping small business owners expand their customer base, and this new tool will bring greater marketing power to our Main Streets districts,” he said in the release. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and this partnership … is another example of how Boston is helping local merchants access new technologies and better compete in a global economy.”

Small Business Saturday, which falls on the weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is a nationwide campaign designed to spur business for small merchants during the holidays.

Menino’s announcement follows the launch of the annual Holidays on Main Street campaign, an initiative to bring shoppers to Boston’s neighborhoods and get them shopping at small retailers for the holiday season, according to Wednesday press release.

Mary Pat Akers, co-founder of Main and Me, said she is thrilled to partner with the City of Boston to support small, locally owned businesses.

“While Main and Me helps increase awareness of what local businesses offer during the holiday season, it is also a year-round solution that helps lay the groundwork for sustainable neighborhood businesses and commercial districts,” she said in theSaturday release.

Steve Gag, Roslindale Village Main Street board president, said Roslindale Village Main Street was created by Menino and was the catalyst to Boston creating the first citywide urban Main Streets program in the country.

“The celebration of Small Business Saturday and the launch of Main and Me Boston right here in Roslindale are just the latest examples of how this community and Roslindale Village Main Street continue to find new and innovative ways to support our local merchants and our neighborhood,” he said in the release.

Several residents said they support the partnership between the City of Boston and Main and Me because they want to see local businesses flourish.

“There are a lot of small businesses suffering because of big chains moving in,” said Kate Casey, 26, of Brighton. “I work downtown and I see a lot of chain stores, so this [campaign] is needed, and it will broaden the small stores’ client base.”

James Burke, 42, of Boston, said the initiative would not have an impact on small businesses sales.

“Businesses in Boston are pretty healthy enough already, especially with the students and the large population,” he said. “But people in Boston tend to be creatures of habit. They go to the same store every day … so it will not make a huge difference.”

Ryan Clayton, 23, of Brighton, said the ability for shoppers to view merchandise online would help small businesses prosper.

“Anything to help small business owners is a good idea,” he said. “They don’t receive the advertising and the name recognition that chains do, so giving people a different way to shop there instead of just in-store will bring much more business.

Kelsey Newell contributed to the reporting of this article.