Consumers Shop Small and win with local retailers

Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year.

First observed in 2010, it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which often draw crowds to 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.

This year Small Business Saturday is November 30.

The special day was conceived and promoted by American Express via a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign.

"The Nacogdoches County Chamber and the City of Nacogdoches Main Street program discovered the program in 2011, and have worked together to get the word out," said Bruce Partain, Chamber president. "The first year we distributed about 50 welcome mats with Shop Small logos. This year we have a just a few of those, along with a good supply of special shopping bags and best of all - gift cards."

Partain said 50 American Express gift cards worth $25 each will be distributed to small, local retailers. "We?re going to ask the retailers to hold their own drawings to give the cards to shoppers who visit their stores between now and November 30," Partain said. "If the stores would like ten or so special bags, we'll distribute those until the supplies are gone."

The program ties in well with the Shop Nac First program that the Chamber, City, NEDCO and local media have promoted since 2008" said Sarah O'Brien, Communications and Main Street Director for the City of Nacogdoches .

"Shop Nac First casts a wider net," Partain said. "It encompasses every retailer and service provider in the county. The small local businesses are an important subset of that bigger local economic engine."

The shared theme is shopping locally builds the local economy, helps provide services such as police and fire and roads and keeps a strong variety of shopping options. Partain said he is working with Monday Signs and Armadillo Signs on Shop Nac First bumper stickers for consumers and larger graphic stickers for stores.

"Jason Monday will have those soon and we'll make those available to stores and buyers as soon as they are ready."