Small Business Saturday

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Over the past 10 years, small businesses and communities alike have come to embrace Small Business Saturday as not just a holiday to celebrate but an overall mindset of supporting small businesses year-round.

As a small business owner, it is more important than ever that you plan how to promote your business this year. You’ll want to have both online and offline strategies in place.

Here is a look at what this day is all about and how your small business can benefit from celebrating Small Business Saturday.

What is Small Business Saturday?
What Year Did Small Business Saturday Start?
How do I Participate in Small Business Saturday?
What Day is Shop Small Saturday?
Why is Small Business Saturday Important?
When Was Small Business Saturday Created?
Why You Should Support a Small Business
Why is it Important to Buy From Small Businesses?
Small Business Saturday UK
Small Business Saturday Ideas
Small Business Saturday Near me
Is Small Business Saturday Only in The US?
Why Was Small Business Saturday Created?
Why is Small Business Saturday Important For The Local Economy?

What is Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is one day every year set aside to support small businesses across the entire United States. The event was started by American Express in 2010 and is celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Nestled in between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this event encourages consumers to get out and shop at their local neighborhood stores.

In 2016, an estimated 112 million shoppers participated in the seventh annual Small Business Saturday by shopping at local shops, setting a new record for the event. The goal of Small Business Saturday is to remind consumers that they play a key role in helping the small businesses in their community thrive, and encourage them to get out and shop and dine at local businesses.

Founding partner American Express keeps the trend continuing after Small Business Saturday and all year long with the Shop Small campaign — a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses every day.

What Year Did Small Business Saturday Start?

Here is a brief history and some of the ways that Small Business Saturday has evolved over the last decade.

2010 | Small Business Saturday was created and sponsored by American Express, which registered the URL SmallBusinessSaturday.com and registered the trademark for the term Small Business Saturday. The company also created a Facebook page supporting the event and also promoted the event with national television advertising and a broad array of public relations activities.

As part of the 2010 promotion, the first 10,000 small business owners who signed up to participate received $100 worth of free Facebook advertising, and the first 200,000 American Express cardholders who pledged to use their credit cards on Small Business Saturday to support small businesses received a $25 credit.

2011 | Beginning in 2011, American Express created the Small Business Saturday Coalition as a means for small business development groups, along with federal, state and location governments and associations, could participate collaboratively.

2013 |In 2013, American Express began to use another trademarked advertising tagline, “Shop Small,” in its Small Business Saturday promotions. The tagline enables the company to extend the marketing efforts surrounding Small Business Saturday into other parts of the year.

2014 | A new promotional aspect of 2014 included an interactive map for participating businesses that accept American Express cards.

2015 | In 2015, American Express produced and ran TV and online commercials promoting Small Business Saturday featuring the Muppets.

2018 |An estimated 104 million American consumers supported local retailers and restaurants, spending $17.8 billion on Small Business Saturday 2018, according to American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)

2019 | Small Business Saturday celebrates its tenth anniversary with a new spokesperson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Broadway musical Hamilton and Karlie Kloss, model and entrepreneur.

2020 | While American Express has shifted its small business messaging to a year-round emphasis using its “Shop Small” message, the need to support small businesses has become (especially during the pandemic) a rallying cry to shoppers and sellers to Shop Small — on Small Business Saturday.

How do I Participate in Small Business Saturday?

A successful Small Business Saturday should start with finding out if other local business organizations or small businesses already have events planned. These events could draw additional attention to participating small businesses like yours.

To get started, check with your local business alliance, Chamber of Commerce, and Local First organization to see if they have anything planned for the day. If you’re not connected with them already, simply Google your town or county’s name along with “business alliance,” “Chamber of Commerce,” and “Local First,” and check their upcoming events or news section to see if they have a Small Business Saturday event planned.

For example, Local First Arizona, hosted a superhero-themed Small Business Saturday event in Tucson in 2017 to celebrate local business owners.

These local organizations will no doubt be taking health and safety precautions, but make sure that when you participate in larger Small Business Saturday settings that you and all participants are following those guidelines.

Wearing masks, staying socially distant, and offering digital and/or contactless payments are especially important steps to take in larger group settings.

In addition to checking with these organizations, ask other small business owners if they’re doing anything special for Small Business Saturday. If none of these groups or businesses are hosting an event, it may be time to take matters into your own hands.

Host Your Own Event

If no events are being hosted by local business owners or organizations (or even if they are!), you can take matters into your own hands by hosting an event. You can get started by speaking with other small business owners and discussing what can be done to draw attention to this special holiday in your community.

For example, you could create a Small Business Saturday map which encourages participants to follow a path during the day, starting with discounted meals at a local diner, followed by shopping at stores along main street, buy-one-get-one-free coffee at a local coffee shop, and finishing the day with half-price tickets at an independent movie theater.

You could also go with a simpler plan like setting up a folding table in front of your local business which provides free Small Business Saturday gear to customers and directs them to participating businesses with flyers.

You can use this handy Event Planning Checklist to keep track of planning and promotion.

Again, if you’re taking organizing an event into your own hands, be sure to take precautions that ensure the safety of all potential customers and employees. Doing this isn’t just the responsible thing to do; it also may lead to more sales as customers feel more comfortable entering your shop or attending your events.

Alert Customers via Flyers and Posters

You’ll definitely want to let your regular customers know ahead of time that you’ll be celebrating the day. Posters on your storefront window and hand-out flyers in a prominent location inside your store will help spread the word about the holiday to existing customers and passersby.

You can print and fill-out American Express’s handy flyers or create your own using a simple, free program like Canva. You can also get flyers designed or printed at a local design shop.

Advertise on Social Media

Promoting Small Business Saturday on social media is just as vital as in-store promotion. Posting a few times a week in the weeks prior to Small Business Saturday will keep your online followers in the loop about what local events are planned and how they can participate.

Like and share other social media posts about Small Business Saturday to get the message out to customers across your town. In addition, make sure to use hashtags like #SmallBusinessSaturday and #ShopSmall to connect with the broader Shop Small community.

Plan the Deals You’ll Offer

In addition to planning a local event for Small Business Saturday, consider what deals you’d like to offer, if any, to draw customers to your business. If you’re a restaurant, you could offer a special menu with discounts on favorite meals.

Discounts like buy-one-get-one-free offers, 15% discounts, and more, are great ways to draw customers but you could also offer a low-cost free item or service to customers for the holiday.

For example, if you own a computer repair shop, you could offer free antivirus software installation to customers for the week. Likewise, you could hand out special $5 gift cards to customers when they make a purchase over say, $35, to bring them back once the holiday is over.

Once you’ve chosen a deal, the final step is to market it and your other offerings to potential customers.

What Day is Shop Small Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. This year Small Business Saturday is November 27, 2021.

Why is Small Business Saturday Important?

Small Business Saturday allows us to use our holiday shopping dollars to recognize the importance of small businesses and the contributions they make to our communities and our country’s economy.

Below are 10 reasons why small businesses benefit from Small Business Saturday.

1. The American Dream – The American dream is defined in part by the ability for anyone to open his/her own business. Entrepreneurship drives this country’s economic prosperity and fuels innovation. When you shop at small businesses, you support the dreams of others.

2. Small businesses create jobs – Small businesses in the U.S. created nearly 2 million of the approximately 3 million private-sector jobs generated in 2014. Patronizing these businesses means keeping people employed and creating new jobs as they grow.

3. Local businesses care about your community – 92% of all small business owners personally donate to charities and non-profit organizations, over half encourage their employees to volunteer their time, and many support local causes. Shopping at local independent businesses helps your community thrive.

4. Buying local keeps the money in your neighborhood – $68 of every $100 spent at a local independent store is reinvested in the community versus $43 with a larger retailer.

5. Strengthen local influence – Supporting local ownership allows important decisions to be made by people who live in the neighborhood and care about how those decisions will impact the community.

6. Create community relationships – Local small businesses use the goods and services of other local businesses such as banks and farms. This creates both social and economic relationships among residents, other business owners, schools and community leaders.

7. Increase tourism – Independent retailers and service providers can offer unique goods and experiences that lure tourists to your community, boosting the local economy.

8. Help the environment – Because many small businesses offer locally sourced products, the carbon footprint for packaging and transportation is reduced.

9. Personalized customer service – Independent business owners care about the people in the neighborhoods they serve, often delivering exceptional, personalized and sometimes unexpected customer service.

10. It feels good! – The holiday season is the perfect time to spread cheer and offer good tidings to your local small businesses. It just feels good to support the businesses that make up your community.

When you consider how many small businesses surround you in your everyday lives, it is hard to imagine life without them.

When Was Small Business Saturday Created?

First observed in the United States on November 27, 2010, Small Business Saturday is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. Small Business Saturday is a registered trademark of American Express.

The first event was created by American Express, in partnership with the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Roslindale Village Main Street. In 2010, the holiday was promoted by American Express via a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign.

That year Amex bought advertising inventory on Facebook, which is, in turn, gave to its small merchant account holders, and also gave rebates to new customers to promote the event.

Why You Should Support a Small Business

When it comes to showing your support for small businesses, it’s important to do so, and not just to help them gain revenue and stay operational. Everything from the local clothing boutique to the corner cupcake bakery relies on the support of loyal customers to keep its doors open, and when you spend money at a small business, you’ll gain plenty of wonderful benefits as well.

Excellent, Personalized Customer Service

Small-business owners treasure the relationships they have with all of their customers. They rely on regular as well as sporadic customers to not only help them earn a profit but also to spread the word to others about their company. Because these small businesses need the support of local consumers, you can expect to get friendly, personal customer service.

The staff of a smaller-sized business will typically be more readily available to answer detailed questions about the products and services they sell, and they can also order specific items for you to purchase at your request. They also enjoy getting to know their customers, since they’re all an important part of the community they serve.

More than anything, word of mouth counts when it comes to small business advertising, so it’s not surprising that they want every single customer to have a positive experience each and every time. Expect to be greeted with smiling faces and eager help when you shop at a small business. This positive experience will keep you coming back, which is a win-win for everyone involved.

Innovation and Competition

Because it can be more difficult for small businesses to stay relevant, they constantly have to work on adding new products to their shelves and new benefits for their customers. This is a positive thing, since it sparks healthy competition with their larger competitors. It also encourages small companies to innovate, adding unique spins on the things they offer in order to keep customers returning.

The products you’ll see at a small business are usually ever-changing in order for them to keep up with current demand. You can also find more personalized, unique items at many small businesses that you won’t see in the big-box stores.

While larger retailers tend to focus only on the most popular items, smaller businesses have the freedom to fill smaller niches with less common and more innovative products. This innovation sparks creativity and new ways to sell goods and services, which is always a good thing.

And often, as small business work to compete with larger stores, special memberships and discounts are provided to loyal customers who return to shop at a small business so that they’ll continue to choose the merchant as a primary place to shop.

Community Support

By supporting a small business, you’re also supporting the local community. Spending your money there helps to stimulate the local economy and keep business booming within your local region. These smaller-sized businesses help to create and sustain jobs as well as keep the area vibrant and buzzing with shoppers and tourists.

The support of the community means a great deal to a small-business owner, and they typically enjoy returning the favor by participating in fundraisers and holding special events to show their appreciation. Coming together to spend your money at a local business shows that you appreciate the things they’re doing for your neighborhood and the services that they provide.

The support of the community works both ways when it comes to buying from and owning a small business. Every purchase made from these companies helps the owner provide wages for their workers, keep the lights on, and put food on the table for their families.

Why is it Important to Buy From Small Businesses?

Here are 10 important reasons why shopping at the local small business in your community is not only important but also helps to create a more vibrant and sustainable local economy.

1. Builds Local Communities

When you support that local business, you are supporting your friends, family, and neighbors. These business owners are the people that you smile at while grocery shopping, play within local community sports events, and wave at in hello when going to get the mail.

The local business that you support will help contribute to their livelihood in the community, as they in turn help improve your livelihood by offering high-quality products and services that you desire.

2. Strengthen the Local Economy to Promote Future Growth

When you purchase local products in abundance, those small business owners will see the community as a desirable place to continue growing their business. They may open other shops, provide additional desired products, and encourage other business partners to come to the same community.

Then more money gets placed into local city funds from business taxes that can revitalize neighborhoods and lure more people to relocate to the area due to available job growth. A small business can be a big boost in helping the economy as well as local schools, libraries, and public services.

3. Local Small Businesses Add Character to Cities and Towns

A small business or boutique shop adds character to the city or town when you walk by. Many business owners will do something quirky or unique to the outside architecture to further promote their product or service theme. This additional attention to detail becomes a selling point when branding their business, and brings an appealing visual appearance to the community.

The business can be pleasing to the eyes and other senses instead of just looking like all the other regular towering grey office buildings. The character of the business can further promote an exciting vibe for visitors and guests. The local business also can add something different and one-of-a-kind to the area, which breaks up the monotony of dealing with the same old thing.

4. Creates More Jobs and Opportunities

A local business that becomes a success will grow, as they will open up more job positions that will be filled by local employees. In addition, the local business can lure other companies to seek profits in that same community.

Other corporations with similar products and services will begin entering the regional market, spurring local competition that can cause lower prices and better product quality. So you obtain more options at the right prices that fit into your budget.

5. Tax Dollars Stay Local and Reenter the Community

A thriving community relies on local tax dollars to maintain the infrastructure, beautify neighborhoods, and help support important local programs and initiatives.

Every time you purchase a product or service from a local business, the owner will pay their share of local business taxes into the community. Your money stays in the community and reenters it to contribute to a positive economic structure.

6. Fosters “Real” Connections with Local Owners and Employees

There is a certain dynamic between local business owners and their employees. They can foster real connections with each other. The business owner has a better sense of the skillset and experience of the employee, as well as their future work goals based on what is offered in the community.

The business owner can help build stronger career opportunities, competitive wages, and employee benefits so their employees are happy and motivated while engaged with their work.

On the other side of the business relationship, employees are more appreciative of a local owner who cares for the economic welfare of their communities.

When they know that the local business owner is active in making the community better through their investments, taxes, and philanthropic activities, the employees are more inclined to offer better productivity and customer service work to continue to make the business a success.

7. More Personalized Customer Service

Ever walk into a local store where the owner knows all of their customers by their first name? They are friendly and engaging as they talk with their customers about their lives and what the person may need today. This personalized customer service behavior is found more with small local businesses than with larger corporations who only see you as another nameless customer with a bank account.

A local business owner can offer you more personalized customer service, as they provide better advice about products and services. In addition, they are sometimes willing to provide demonstrations about how the product works and offer additional advice so you have the best experience with the item.

8. Making Priceless Memories when Visiting and Shopping Small, Local Businesses

Even today, some people make it a habit to go down to their local business district to enjoy a lazy weekend going window shopping. They will check out what new businesses have entered storefronts, what tasty free food samples are available, and enjoy the overall relaxing atmosphere.

Some local businesses will hold wine tastings, product demos, product samples, and special events on the weekend to draw in the crowds. These activities can create priceless memories when taking the entire family shopping, even if you are just visiting the stores without purchasing anything.

You can also score great deals and promotional coupons to use later when you need to purchase something.

9. Diverse Businesses Can Draw Tourists and Neighboring Communities

A unique, diverse small business can be a benefit to your local community. Since they offer other products, foods, and services that are not usually common to the area, it can draw in tourists who are looking for something amazing when visiting the area.

Even when the tourists go back home, the small business can still continue to attract people from neighboring communities. These people may not have a store that is similar in their region, as they are willing to take the drive out to get the products and services at great prices

10. Local Small Business Encourages Local Entrepreneurship

When a local small business owner becomes a success in the community, it can be the right encouragement for other people to take the plunge and also become local entrepreneurs. They may take a unique angle with their products and services so that what they offer complements another local business, providing cross-selling opportunities for both business owners.

Also, many local business owners are willing to provide advice and mentorship opportunities with local entrepreneurs.

Since they understand the corporate world and already dealt with all the hurdles and roadblocks on the way to becoming a successful owner, they can lend their knowledge to the entrepreneur so that the new business owner is equipped with the right tools and resources to grow their own companies.

Small Business Saturday UK

Small Business Saturday is a UK campaign to support small businesses, taking place on the first Saturday in December each year. The campaign encourages businesses to promote themselves and work with other small businesses, and consumers to shop local and support small, independent businesses in their communities.

The first Small Business Saturday took place on 7 December 2013 with subsequent celebrations taking place on 6 December 2014, 5 December 2015, 3 December 2016, and 2 December 2017. In 2018, the event was held on 1 December.

In 2016, research after the day suggested that consumers spent £717m with small businesses on Small Business Saturday, an increase of 15% on 2015 spending.

Small Business Saturday 2017 was the most successful campaign yet with an estimated £748 million spent on the day.

Each year in the UK, small independent businesses are encouraged to apply for the #SmallBiz100, 100 businesses that are profiled nationally one a day in the run-up to Small Business Saturday.

The Small Business Saturday UK initiative has been supported by business organizations including the Federation of Small Businesses, Association of City and Town Management, Association of Convenience Stores, and Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association. It has received support from all political parties and a number of large corporations.

Small Business Saturday Ideas

So, as the big day quickly approaches, it’s important to make the most of this special sales event. Think strategically and find approaches that hopefully can help you strengthen relationships and business all year long. Here are 16 Small Business Saturday ideas to get you started.

1. Get web ready
Don’t forget the easy stuff. Make sure your address and contact info is correct on your website and all your social media profiles. You’d be surprised how many small businesses forget to update all their accounts as their business evolves — and busy shoppers might not know you’ve opened a new location or have new hours.

And while you’re at it, review your site as if you were a customer, ensuring that all promotions are prominently displayed and that your payment process is working properly. You should do these checks regularly — and an annual holiday sales event like Small Business Saturday is as good a prompt as any.

2. Utilize free resources.
American Express is doing the hard work for you, offering free signs, email templates, web badges, posters and other marketing materials to get your business’ name out there. There’s still time to download many of these materials and get them customized and ready to use in minutes.

Next year, see if you’re eligible to order the full suite of materials (you might even be able to get on the initiative’s Shop Small map).

3. Extend your hours.
If you usually close at 5 p.m. on Saturdays consider staying open til 8 or 9 p.m. Check out the events going on in your town that night and plan accordingly, so you can make the most of the foot traffic, suggests marketing software company Vertical Response. And if you change your hours for the shopping event make sure to tell shoppers on social media and on your website.

4. Prioritize customer service.
Re-train your staff to make a good impression. Your ability to connect with customers and create more personalized experiences can help you stand out amongst competitors. According to a 2016 study, although people continue to shop online — nothing beats an in-store experience, so make sure yours is one to remember.

Run through scenarios that might occur at your store during a busy weekend and give your staff the tools they need and the words to say to solve problems and help customers who might not have visited your store in a while.

5. Plan incentives
Give people reason to come to your store or your events. Last year, shoppers in Oakland County, Michigan had a chance to win $5,000 thanks to a special promotion that lets shoppers text photos of their receipts. Consider your own in-store incentives, such as raffles, collecting contact information for your own upcoming events and promotions throughout the year.

6. Don’t compete with the Big Boxes.

You might be tempted to slash prices ‘Black Friday-style’ — but don’t. Doorbusters might work for major retailers like Walmart and Target, but that doesn’t mean your small business should do the same.

Marcus Lemonis, the host of CNBC’s The Profit, advises small businesses to stay away from Black Friday-style deep discounts. Instead, remember your market is coming to you for a different reason — to support local businesses.

7. Join forces
Work together with neighboring shops to give shoppers more reasons to visit. In South Dakota, Downtown Sioux Falls offers a number of deals, freebies and experiences throughout the town. Last year, shoppers enjoyed free cups of espresso and a special art market — encouraging shoppers to make a day of the sales event and explore the downtown.

By joining forces with other merchants, you’ll likely get free promotion throughout the city, simply for registering as a participating business. Find out what your local community has planned and be part of it. Those relationships can help you throughout the year.

8. Invite a local celeb or official
In 2015, then President Barack Obama dropped into a local bookstore on Small Business Saturday and even shopped at a local popsicle shop in our nation’s capitol. While not all shops can get the president into their store, consider inviting other local officials who might make your shop into an impromptu photo opportunity. (Elected officials in all 50 states championed the day last year, so you have a ready audience.)

And don’t forget other local notables, such as local authors, creatives and even pageant winners who might be flattered and excited to drop by if you make them feel welcome and special.

9. Join online groups associated with the holiday.

Americans love supporting small businesses and some have even started online communities to help promote Small Business Saturday. Go to meetup.com and do searches with terms such as “small business meetup groups,” and “Small Business Saturday groups” in your area. It’s free so get joining to connect your name and business with motivated, enthusiastic people.

10. Celebrate other small businesses.

Small Business Saturday is a community event, so go out of your way to celebrate other small businesses participating in the shopping day. Re-tweeting them and sharing their social content is a great way to show your support. It’s likely, they’ll return the favor too.

11. Support local charities.

Customers love knowing where their money’s going — especially if it is for a good cause. Bubbly Paws, a dog grooming and retail spot in Minnesota, had big success on Small Business Saturday in 2015 thanks in part to promotions and partnerships with other local shops, but also because it dedicated a portion of its sales to a local dog charity.

The company saw a major uptick in sales and found that customers were motivated to shop and happy to know their money would help dogs in need as well as their community.

12. Utilize social media — and hashtags.
Tell your store’s story on social media. Document your preparation for the big day and get your customers rooting for you. Take photos of your displays to whet appetites and on Saturday share images of your fastest selling products and the ways excited customers are enjoying your store.

And don’t forget to add specific event hashtags to accompany your posts: #SmallBizSat, #ShopSmall and #SmallBusinessSaturday. In 2016, there were nearly 250,000 social media posts combined on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #ShopSmall, #SmallBizSat and/or #DineSmall, and more than 150,000 were posted on November 26th alone, so make sure you’re part of those conversations — and those searches after the day is over.

13. Update your advertising.
Go Digital Marketing recommends small businesses update their PPC (pay per click) keywords to make sure their company name hits the top of customers’ searches. Change the keywords to reflect your most up-to-date offers and promotions, as well as your location.

15. Make your website mobile-friendly.
According to a Kissmetrics study, 78 percent of mobile searches seeking information on local businesses result in a purchase. With that said, make sure your website is mobile-friendly so Saturday’s shoppers who can’t make it to the actual store are able to buy your products on their smartphone.

16. Think beyond Saturday.
Although it’s important to utilize Small Business Saturday to boost sales and drive traffic — but your thinking should go beyond this day of shopping. Stores in Alexandria Virginia last offered random acts of holiday cheer, a series of deals that are available throughout the holiday season.

After the holiday season has ended, take stock of what worked and what didn’t. Chances are, many of these strategies can be repurposed beyond the holiday season, allowing you to strengthen the relationships you created with customers and partners all year long.

Small Business Saturday Near me

Shopping small doesn’t just mean going to the stores in your city’s downtown area—though you should do that too if you can. But with Covid-19 case numbers rising, and many brick-and-mortar stores still closed, you can shop small virtually.

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite small businesses that you can shop online, and we encourage you to search for others close to home. And remember, it’s nice that we have a day dedicated to supporting these shops, but you should remember them all year.

You can check in with the small businesses in your area directly to see if they have an online marketplace with all or most of their stock (chances are, they do). You can also find stores these ways:

Etsy is an obvious source as a marketplace of individual sellers. You can find nearly anything there, from custom art to vintage trinkets. Plus, they have sales, where other small or local stores may not.
Check your local Chamber of Commerce website. They often list local businesses.
Search hashtags on Instagram if you’re looking for a particular item, like say, plant jewelry.
American Express has a searchable small-business map, but you may have to dig. When you search your hometown, you get a huge list of restaurants and car washes as well as a few small boutiques.
Amazon might be the last place you’d consider a small business (and rightfully so!), but the site now has a Support Small section. This is a good resource if you absolutely must use Amazon, but we still recommend buying from the small businesses directly anytime you can.
Warmly is a greeting card subscription service based in Midland, Michigan, that sources cards from independent and small artists and print shops.
V-Picks is where you go in Nashville to get handmade acrylic vinyl guitar picks that start to warm in your hand as you play.
Couch Guitar Straps is a Long Beach, California-based company that makes everything from belts and handbags to, yes, guitar straps from dead stock—that is, unused material that another manufacturer has not been able to sell.
Portland Design Works makes quirky, eye-catching gear for your all-weather bike commuter.
Taylor Stitch is a sustainable shirting and menswear company based in Portland, Oregon.
Cocktail Kingdom is a New York-based company that makes premium barware (we especially like their jiggers).
Small Hand Foods makes high-quality syrups for drinks, whether alcoholic or not.

Is Small Business Saturday Only in The US?

Small Business Saturday is a national holiday celebrating America’s small businesses, started by American Express in 2010. It happens on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the day after Black Friday, which is usually the fourth Saturday of November.

American Express rewards consumers who use their American Express cards on the holiday. In 2013, when someone spent $10 or more at a small business, they were rewarded $10 of credit.

To put Small Business Saturday in context, it’s helpful to understand their impact on the American economy. Here are some helpful stats from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Keep in mind that the SBA defines a small business pretty broadly – for many industries, that means up to 500 employees or $7.5 million in average annual receipts. This means that the SBA’s small businesses are probably a lot bigger than those in your community.

Stats from the Small Business Administration

There are 28.8 million small businesses in the country.
Small businesses account for 99.7% of all businesses in the US.
Small businesses accounted for 64% of new jobs created in the U.S. between 1993 and 2011
Franchised small businesses employ roughly 8 million people, and make up 40 % of all American retail jobs.

Why Was Small Business Saturday Created?

American Express cares deeply about thriving communities and believes small businesses are at the core of every thriving neighborhood. That’s why — in the midst of the recession in 2010 — they created Small Business Saturday^® on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses.

In an effort to support their local communities, organizations across the country sign up to serve as Neighborhood Champions. These supporters bring their community together with events and activities on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.

Why is Small Business Saturday Important For The Local Economy?

Small businesses have long been considered the backbone and heart of the American economy. Successful small businesses bring a community together, increase real estate value and help keep local money local – which directly benefits their towns’ economies.

Small businesses pay local taxes, which means any money spent there flows back to their communities, supporting things like parks, schools and emergency services.

Small Business Saturday is also a great chance for small business owners to rake in some last-minute profits before the year’s end. Roughly 110 million consumers nationwide “shopped small” on Small Business Saturday 2019, according to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, spending a combined $19.6 billion at independent neighborhood retailers and restaurants.

The importance of locally owned businesses to our communities can’t be understated – small businesses employ over half of all US workers, and are responsible for 75% of new jobs. And for every $100 spent at a local small business, $68 returns to the community – while that same $100 spent at a national chain returns only $43 to the local economy.