OHIO — Celebrated the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday is a nationwide movement to help small businesses succeed.
What You Need To Know
- Small Business Saturday is celebrated the Saturday after Thanksgiving
- It has been an American tradition since 2010
- The movement was created to help small businesses succeed
The tradition was started by American Express in 2010 and the company reported an all-time high for sales in 2021 with an estimated $23.3 billion in U.S. consumer spending.
Angie Vodopivec, owner of Yogi’s Closet Boutique, said her store sees a significant increase in foot traffic during the holiday weekend.
“Small Business Saturday really does become a bit of a mad house, and that doesn’t normally happen. Normally it’s people trickling in here and there,” Vodopivec said. “We probably see, I don’t know, I would guesstimate, 60-70% more people than normal.”
Yogi’s Closet is located in downtown Willoughby, a town that Vodopivec described as a tight-knight community.
“I have a lot of small, local, small businesses that I buy from for the shop, so on Small Business Saturday I invite them in,” she said. “They set up a table and they will sell their items. Its kind of my way to give back to other small business owners.”
Vodopivec encourages everyone to get out and shop small this holiday weekend.
“These days are critical because it really does help us end the year strong,” she said. “So every retailer experiences ups and downs in the numbers, but when we know we can count on Black Friday sales and Small Business Saturday sales, it helps us tremendously.”
