As I’m sure you know (and as I shared in another post), today is Black Friday. Yes, it feels as though this has already been going on for a month at this point, but today is the actual event. Yet, I’d argue that tomorrow is actually the more important retail holiday: Small Business Saturday.
Founded in 2010 as part of an American Express campaign, Small Business Saturday has really caught on outside of its credit card-company promo roots. Looking at Instagram, I’ve seen plenty of local businesses in my area mentioning the holiday and offering deals as part of it. In fact, the farmer’s market that takes place at my apartment complex every week is hosting a “Craft Crawl” this week to correspond with SBS. Thus, I’m guessing there are several small businesses in your area that would love to see you this Saturday as well.
In my opinion, Small Business Saturday (or Shop Small Saturday as I’ve also seen some call it) is a real win-win. First, and most importantly, it’s a great opportunity for smaller businesses to get some recognition and make some sales. Just as Black Friday can often make or break a business’s year, SBS can honestly be a lifesaver for local retailers. Meanwhile, it’s also a benefit to customers as many of these locations offer special deals and other perks.
Over the past few years, we’ve actually made Small Business Saturday and Springfield specifically a big part of our holiday gift-giving since moving here. For example, while it came just ahead of the holiday itself, we purchased our brother-in-law a gift set from a local distillery. Funny enough, we’re also supporting small businesses outside of our community as we found some fun items from a coffee shop in Akron and a restaurant in Nashville — both of which we visited with some of my wife’s siblings, so we’ll be surprising them with those gifts this year (so shhh).
Of course, while supporting Small Business Saturday is great, it’s also important to patronize local businesses throughout the year. On that note, SBS represents an awesome opportunity to discover some local shops in your area. Whether you choose to walk around a certain area of your neighborhood or hit up Instagram to seek out those businesses, I think you’ll find plenty to love.
Ultimately, although Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be beneficial to your wallet, it’s Small Business Saturday that can really make a difference in your community. Therefore, if you can, I’d highly encourage you to seek out some shops to visit this year. Or, if you can’t do that, you can always show support by sharing them on social media, leaving a positive review on Google, and doing what you can to spread the word about the amazing small businesses out there.