Vidler’s Named Small Business of the Year

And now for some good news!

‍
Earlier this year we were given an award that unfortunately coincided right with the start of the worldwide lockdown. While we have already announced our win, getting through the past few months has given us the chance to take a trip down memory lane, and doing so has made this an even greater honor. So we’re going to take a moment to express our gratitude anew. 

On behalf of the entire Vidler’s family, we are overjoyed that our humble 5 & 10 has been named the 2020 “Family-Owned Business of the Year” by the Small Business Administration’s Buffalo, New York district office. Illustrating the honor are the words of SBA Buffalo District Director Franklin J. Sciortino as he says, “National Small Business Week recognizes the hard work, ingenuity and complete dedication of our entrepreneurs. I am proud of the Buffalo District office winners for their personal achievements and their contributions to the American economy.” So cheers to you - our extended Vidler’s family, our beloved East Aurora, and all the supporters of Western New York small businesses. Thank you.

The Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week, starting in the first week of May this year, highlighted the entrepreneurial stars of small business by celebrating within local districts across the country. To be counted in the company of our fellow Buffalo district entrepreneurs of the year, as well as small business-owning families across the country, is a triumph for the Vidler’s family while speaking volumes about Western New York as a place that lovingly fosters such growth. I think we can all agree that to survive, much less grow, in a community at length is simply a reflection of the culture and values around us. This honor requires a nomination, for which we are very grateful, followed by a selection process that evaluates growth in multiple senses of the word, as well as resilience in the face of adversity, staying power, and active contributions to community-oriented projects.

We fit into this constellation of local entrepreneurial stars as the Buffalo district’s Family-Owned Small Business of the year. We are grateful to be celebrated by the Western New York community, especially in our landmark 90th year as a small business. When grandfather Robert S. Vidler opened the store in 1930 at the dawn of the Great Depression as a modest 2-aisle, 900 square foot parcel, local merchants bet that it wouldn’t last, but Vidler’s endured. 

“Those Vidler boys,” Bob and Ed, rounded out the family-owned small business leadership in joining their father in 1949. The introduction of a third-generation of family merchants began in 1985 when Cousin Cliff joined the ranks. 12 years later, our small business no longer felt so small as it completed expansion into no less than 4 connected buildings. Though remaining very much a small business, we are now the largest 5 & 10 in the world, and Trip Advisor’s #1 thing to do in East Aurora! Third generation merchants Beverly and myself later joined the family business, climbing aboard in the 90’s and 00’s, respectively. 

Just last year, my father and second generation merchant Ed Vidler passed on. The nature of this award, as it highlights family ownership and community, is very much his warm voice echoing on and on, for which we are all overjoyed to hear.

This award is a testament to the unflappable integrity and fun-loving nature of our Western New York community; qualities proven to endure from the economic depression in our humble beginnings through our current times of global pandemic.

So again, and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

Without you folks, whether a first-time visitor or a lifelong supporter, we couldn’t pursue a century of operation, offer 75,000 whimsical items, or participate in a Carolcade of thousands of revelers and merry-makers... 

Put simply: without you, we couldn’t be Vidler’s.