‘Shop Small Saturday’ entices Yule shoppers
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Shoppers at Hoskins in the Flat in Historic Down- town Clinton take advantage of Small Business Saturday during last year’s event, - G. Chambers Williams III
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Lora Treece waits on customers at Historic Clinton Antiques on Market Street, one of the stores that will be participating in this weekend’s Small Business Saturday event, which encourages shoppers to patronize locally owned small businesses while doing their holiday shopping. - G. Chambers Williams III
Patronizing small businesses is encouraged year-round, but that theme is at the forefront of this weekend’s “Shop Small Saturday” event.
The goal is to boost small businesses on the busiest holiday shopping weekend of the year.
Clinton’s Shop Small Saturday is promoted this year by the Historic Downtown Clinton organization.
But it is among similar events nationwide, called Small Business Saturday, celebrated every year on Thanksgiving weekend.
Small Business Saturday was founded by American Express in 2010, and has officially been co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration since 2011.
“Small Business Saturday has become an important part of small businesses’ busiest shopping season,” the SBA says.
It’s described as “a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities,” according to the SBA website.
“Small Business Saturday has become America’s call to action to support the backbone of our economy and heart of our communities – our small businesses,” said SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. “America’s incredible entrepreneurs create jobs, drive innovation, and strengthen our communities, shaping the unique character of neighborhoods across America.
“I encourage everyone to ‘Gift Big and Shop Local’ by supporting local businesses and the millions of hardworking Americans behind them,” she said.
Spending among U.S. consumers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $17 billion in 2023, according to the Consumer Insights Survey commissioned by American Express.
The Shop Small Saturday event in Clinton will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with downtown businesses open and ready for Christmas shopping as an alternative to the big-box stores’ Black Friday deals.
