Children and adults paint at the Downtown Container Park on Nov. 26, 2016, as part of the Small Business Saturday national event, which aims to infuse shopping dollars into the local economy.
Friday, Nov. 24, 2017 | 2 a.m.
Small Business Saturday is branded as the antithesis to the chaos often associated with Black Friday.
It can mean strolling to the local coffee shop and shopping in a store where the owner knows your name. It doesn’t mean throwing down with a grandma for the last flat-screen TV on sale in Friday’s pre-dawn hours.
In 2010, small businesses across the nation felt the pain of the Great Recession, and American Express launched Small Business Saturday, hoping to attract more holiday shoppers. In 2011, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution to support the day and by 2012 officials of every state participated, according to the 2016 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey.
The day generated an estimated $15.4 billion for small businesses nationally last year with 112 million shoppers participating, according to the same survey.
American Express’s Neighborhood Champions help rally 10 or more small businesses to participate in the day, organize community events and promote the Shop Small concept by distributing merchandise such as tote bags provided by American Express.
Two Neighborhood Champions in Las Vegas, Downtown Container Park and Latin Chamber of Commerce, are hosting events.
“Small Business Saturday is important to Downtown Container Park because we’re built from the ground up with small businesses,” Kristine Reynolds, general manager of Downtown Container Park, said in a news release. “We are proud to act as an incubator for startup brands and small businesses by providing them the space and tools they need to flourish within the park and our community.”
Lizzy Newsome was one of the founders of Kappa Toys, which opened its doors in Downtown Container Park in 2014 and recently opened its second store at the Linq Promenade.
"The thing that I find with Small Business Saturday after having participated for a number of years is that there are always those hardcore small business shoppers that we see every month,” Newsome said. “On Small Business Saturday, you'll get a lot of people coming out for the first time discovering small businesses that didn't know that were right in their backyard."
The Latin Chamber of Commerce is organizing a shop-small extravaganza in traditionally Hispanic business corridors, with events planned at La Bonita Supermarkets across the valley and at the Boulevard Mall.
Small businesses participating in Saturday’s event are offering special discounts and deals at Downtown Container Park and the Boulevard Mall.
