Early shoppers Saturday can pick up a free Holidays in Uptown canvas tote

Remember to include Uptown Westerville in your Black Friday and Small Business Saturday shopping plans later this week!

All of Uptown is decked out in its holiday finery, with the 2024 Holidays in Uptown theme extending from store decorations to special holiday DORA drinks being offered by several establishments.

The hours of most establishments in Westerville’s historic Uptown business district for both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday begin at 11 a.m. (some open at 10), and extend until at least 7 p.m., with food and drink vendors staying open later.

New this year: Early Uptown shoppers on Small Business Saturday can pick up a complimentary Holidays in Uptown 16×12-inch canvas tote bag (photo above).

Small Business Saturday, the day set aside by American Express for shopping small after consumers shop big on Black Friday, is expected to draw 64.4 million shoppers this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Forbes.com reported that while SBS will draw only about half the shoppers as Black Friday (when 132 million people are expected), some 8 percent more shoppers are anticipated this year than on Small Business Saturday in 2019. And this year’s traffic boost is set against a backdrop where brick-and-mortar retail foot traffic is down some 3 percent from last year, according to Joe Shasteen of RetailNext.

Small businesses have a psychological advantage on their shopping day as compared with big retailers on Black Friday, according to Forbes. “Consumers can see and feel the good they are doing with every purchase when patronizing small businesses.”

“Yes, big retailers employ consumers’ neighbors, but small businesses are embedded in the very fabric of their communities,” Forbes reports. “A dollar spent at a neighborhood small business is a virtual gift to the community with some 68 cents recycled back into the local economy.”

“Small Business Saturday got its start in 2010 as the economy was coming out of the Great Recession. It was an immediate success and has continued to grow over the last 15 years with Amex estimating that it has contributed $201 billion to local economies in that time,” Forbes reported.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) encourages Americans to, “Champion small businesses nationwide and #ShopSmall on Saturday, November 30, 2024.”

“Now more than ever, small businesses need our support. … Support our nation’s more than 34 million independent businesses this Small Business Saturday and all holiday season long,” the SBA said.

In 2011, the SBA became Amex’ official cosponsor of Small Business Saturday. The day is an important part of small businesses’ busiest shopping season, the SBA said.

In 2023, estimated spending in the U.S. from those who shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday was around $17 billion, the SBA reported.