Support small businesses by shopping locally Saturday

DALLAS - It’s the frenzied first week of the holiday shopping season. Thursday was Gray Thursday with stores opening on Thanksgiving Day. Then, of course, there was Black Friday. Saturday is known as Small Business Saturday.

The push to patronize mom and pop retailers was started by American Express in 2010.

At Toy Maven, it’s understood that Small Business Saturday is more than fun and games.

“It is an opportunity to call people’s attention to how important it is to shop locally. But also, it’s an opportunity for people to learn about the impact,” said Candace Williams with Toy Maven.

In Texas, small business equates to 4.4 million jobs, or about half of the workforce.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy…. Small businesses all across our state create jobs, drive up wages and grow the economy,” Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in an opinion piece for the Dallas Morning News.

Annie Clark is hoping her women’s boutique Get Noticed does well this Small Business Saturday. She said the day makes a difference.

“We sell ladies clothing apparel, shoes, handbags, lots of jewelry. We try to support as many locally owned businesses as we can,” she said. “It’s doing what Black Friday does for the majors.”