Small Biz Saturday keeps money local

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Squeezed between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday allows local shops to get in on the big holiday spending.

Small Business Saturday was introduced by American Express in 2010.

For local business Small Business Saturday represents an opportunity to gain new customers.

"This has kind of just been a good push for people to come out and get their feet in the door and then once they do they're loving it and that has been a great thing for us. That is what it is all about is getting people in" said Terry Jeleniewski from Old World Olive Press.

Small business Saturday does just that, gets people in the door, people that maybe have never shopped local before.

The benefits of shopping local are huge.

According to Local First , for every $100 spent at a local store or restaurant, $73 go back into the community in some way. Compared with only $43 if money is spent at a big chain store.
    
To people like Linda Horgan and her husband that is why they spent Saturday on the streets of downtown Rockford and Grand Rapids shopping.

"You get so overwhelmed with like I said the Kohl's, Target, and all of those and Walmart and all of that. I just think it is so nice to give back to the community, what they give to us" Horgan told 24 Hour News 8.

Jeleniewski said Old World Olive Press is seeing a difference from the shopping day focused on small business.

"A lot of people have said that they're just like they said its Small Business Saturday they are doing the downtown thing rather than the big malls which is kind of nice."
    
It may be hard to tell who likes Small Business Saturday more, shoppers or stores. But hearing "Small Business Saturday brought us down" from shoppers like Horgan means the concept, started in 2010 by American Express, is working.