A few years ago, American Express launched a concept called “Small Business Saturday” that happens after Black Friday and before Cyber Monday. The idea is to support family-owned, non-big box, non-mega-chain restaurants, retail stores, service providers, etc. If you read my post earlier this week, you know I’m not a fan of Black Friday, but I have gotten out and tried to support small businesses. I’m a big fan of non-chain restaurants; in fact, 90% of the time we eat out it’s at a small, family-owned places. I admit I don’t shop many “boutique” shops for clothing, because it’s just too expensive, but we’ve had a few consignment shops open in the area recently, and those are fun. I mostly shop little stores for unique gifts, so this day happening in the holiday season is perfect.

Check the American Express website for participating businesses, or just wander around town and stop somewhere that looks interesting. Remember, most of these businesses don’t have robust websites, so don’t count on a web search to find them. An old-fashioned phone book might work better! Happy shopping!