(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Those who have endured the madness of Black Friday and still have plenty of holiday shopping to do should consider using this Small Business Saturday to explore retailers (and gift ideas) that will help add a personal touch to your giving.

Since 2010, the annual event has celebrated small, independent businesses in our communities. American Express estimates as much as $22 billion was spent on Small Business Saturday in 2024.

For the 99.9% of businesses in the U.S. that qualify as “small,” according to Forbes, that kind of spending is essential. It helps employ more than 62 million people. It helps support those businesses’ role in shaping our communities — providing something that simply can’t be found with big box retailers that provide the same thing in the same way no matter where they are.

As Forbes put it, “small businesses bring communities together, solve problems and help establish a cultural identity.”

A big box retailer is not, for example, going to shut its doors, dim its lights and let the shop kitties run into the retail space for a funky yoga event; it is much less likely to sponsor uniforms for your child’s baseball team or open up a backroom for a tabletop gaming night.

Those who own local small businesses are our friends and neighbors. They work hard to fill the need for inventory and atmosphere that can’t be found anywhere else. For purposes of holiday shopping, that means they are working hard to give you gift options that make it much more likely the receiver will say “I love it! Where did you find this?”

Stop in and see some of them on this Small Business Saturday. There’s a good chance the owner will be there, working with staff in anticipation of a busy day to give the best shopping experience possible. There’s a good chance you’ll find not just the perfect gift for someone else, but your own new favorite shop.

And when you buy, there is a 100% chance you will have supported someone in your community — and your local economy.

Small businesses can’t be everything all at once like the big guys. They’re not trying to be. But use this Small Business Saturday to find out whether one or two of them might be exactly what you need.