Planning on getting started on Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving?
Small businesses know they can’t compete with those “Big Box” stores on Black Friday, but they’re hoping you’ll do some of your holiday shopping on Small Business Saturday.
After you’ve snagged your deals at department stores (or spent the day at the Science Museum of Virginia) spend a little time supporting your favorite local shop.
Small Business Saturday, which was started by American Express in 2010, has gained a lot of popularity according to their website 88 million visited local businesses last year. It makes sense that the movement has gained so much popularity; a study by Civic Economics (seen here) showed that 47.7% of money spent at local businesses went back to the community vs. 13.6% spent at national chains.
If you want to make a day of it, Carytown which is known for it’s locally owned shops and restaurants, has a lot of family-friendly events happening throughout the day. The day kicks off at noon when Santa arrives in a horse drawn carriage escorted by Marines. Santa will be spending Saturdays at Hersch Oriental Rugs (if you bring a new or gently used book for the Children’s Home Society, you can get your picture with Santa for free). Families will be able to take free carriage rides down Cary Street from 12:00 – 5:00pm. Of course, there will also be lots of small businesses to support.
Whether you’re a Black Friday shopper or not, we hope you’ll head out for Small Business Saturday!
