from Elizabeth
In 2010, American Express designated the Saturday after Black Friday as a day to rally the community to support their local small businesses. This year, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Main Street and the Fredericksburg Department of Economic Development and Tourism are teaming up with downtown businesses to celebrate Small Business Saturday with an Early Riser event from 8am to 10am.
Balloons and red carpets will appear in front of participating businesses, many of which will be offering special incentives during that time. The city will provide free coffee and pastries at the Visitor Center and Raven Hi Fi at 214 William Street.
According to the fourth annual Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from National Federation of Independent Business and American Express:
- 80% of consumers are willing to pay slightly more for an item if it is purchased from a small, independently-own retailer as opposed to online or at a large retailer.
- On average, consumers are planning to do 35% of their holiday shopping at small businesses, 45% of consumers who expect to shop on the day plan to spend more on Small Business Saturday this year (2015) then they spent last year.
- Almost 64% of consumers who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday are motivated by the contributions that small businesses make to their community.
- According to the US Small Business Administration, small businesses account for most of the jobs in this country and small businesses create most of America’s new jobs.
While starting your holiday shopping this weekend, make sure to swing by a few stores in Downtown on Saturday, November 28th to show your support to local small businesses!