After eating Thanksgiving turkey, standing in line at Best Buy or other large stores to take advantage of Black Friday sales, watching several football games, what's on your schedule for the Saturday after Thanksgiving?
According to OnDeck, "Small Business Saturday is a national event that encourages people to shop local and support small businesses during the holiday season. In 2025, Small Business Saturday falls on November 29, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. While big-box stores dominate Black Friday and online retailers reign on Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday is about bringing the focus back to neighborhood shops and service providers. Small Business Saturday was started by American Express in 2010 to help small businesses recover from the Great Recession. At the time, small businesses were facing a lot of competition from the big name retailers, especially during the holiday season. The idea was to create a holiday to help small businesses compete against Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s grown in popularity and turned into a powerful nationwide campaign that highlights the significance of supporting local businesses."
HOW CAN CUSTOMERS SHOW THEIR SUPPORT?
[1] Shop and dine local: The easiest way for consumers to support small businesses is by becoming a patron. Spend the day discovering unique items and experiences in your own neighborhood.
[2] Spread the word: Consumers can spread the word about their favorite small businesses by word-of-mouth or by sharing a social media post with the hashtags #SmallBusinessSaturday and #SmallBizSat and #SmallSmall and #ShopLocal.
[3] Leave positive reviews: Reviews can be really impactful for small businesses. Sharing great experiences can help boost their online visibility and encourage others to check them out.
[4] Purchase gift cards for holiday presents: Consumers get their holiday shopping done, and local businesses get immediate financial support. Plus, whoever receives the gift card may become a new customer for the business.
Barack Obama, the U.S. President during the creation of Small Business Saturday, supported the event by visiting different bookstores in Washington, D.C. In 2012, he went to One More Page Books; in 2013 and 2014, he took his daughters to Politics and Prose; and in 2015, he visited Upshur Street Books and Pleasant Pops Cafe.
According to the United States Chamber of Commerce, "There are 33.2 million small businesses in the U.S. and they make up 99 percent of all businesses. For the past 20 years, small businesses have accounted for roughly 40 percent of the United States’ gross domestic output (GDP), which equates to trillions of dollars of economic activity. When you support a local business, you’re also supporting your town, city, and neighborhood by way of paying sales tax. The sales tax money is used to support public schools, parks, roads, and sidewalks, as well as fund public service workers, like firefighters."
HERE'S A LIST OF SOME TYPICAL SMALL BUSINESSES:
[1] Pet stores
[2] Bookstores
[3] Photographers
[4] Bakeries
[5] Ice Cream stores
[6] Fitness centers
[7] Sporting goods stores
[8] Florists
[9] Clothing stores
[10] Salons
This year, I will be supporting some local bookstores on Small Business Saturday: Vromans's in Pasadena, Book Soup in West Hollywood, and Iliad Bookstore in North Hollywood. What brands will you support on Small Business Saturday? Chime in and share.
SHARE THIS: When you support a local business, you also employ friends and neighbors. #SmallBusinessSaturday #SmallBizSat #ShopSmall #ShopLocal #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Image Credit: AllEvents/Athens/Alabama.
Check out the bookstores mentioned above:
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