Small Business Saturday > Black Friday . No contest in my book.

Black Friday typically means lines, traffic, lines, cranky, tired people weeding through sale racks and more lines!

Small Business Saturday, on the other hand, is all about supporting the little, local guys.  I usually peacefully meander to my local coffee shop, then head to some independent boutiques and hit up some fav local restaurants for fuel in between.

Here’s a few more reasons I think Small Business Saturday kicks Black Friday’s a**.

3 Reasons to Shop on Small Business Saturday:

1. Boost your local economy by spending within the community. Money spent at a local business generates 3.5x more wealth for the local economy compared to money spent at a chain-owned business.
2. You’ll likely lower your carbon output. Walk, ride your bike or drive a short distance to local, small business instead of the big, scary mall and you’ll save gasoline. Plus, if you go out on Black Friday you can almost guarantee sitting in major traffic.  An idle car burns a whole lotta gasoline.
3. Unique finds and gifts! Who wants the same, boring J Crew sweater that every other person is sporting? Local boutiques offer a slew of one-of-a-kind items for yourself or friends and family. Gift recipients will feel special in their distinctive garb.

Small Business Saturday is a good day to give recognition to the little guys. But, we should all try to shop this way whenever possible. Spending our money on independent business is what keeps them around. Philadelphia is lucky to be home to so many awesome, independent retailers, and we want to keep it that way!

You can use foursquare #shopsmall to find small business to support in your area.

Readers, where are you shopping this Small Business Saturday?

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Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari