Seasonal & Holidays
Small Business Saturday Supports 'Unique And Special' Shops In Anne Arundel County
Small Business Saturday will support the shops that make Anne Arundel "unique and special." Artist Sunday will also celebrate local culture.
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Saturday, Nov. 30, is a crucial day for independently owned local businesses in Anne Arundel County. It’s Small Business Saturday, the kickoff to “shop small” events that emphasize the power of dollars spent in local communities.
Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is sandwiched between the major Black Friday retail shopping holiday, which tends to favor national brands, and Cyber Monday, an online shopping event that this year takes place on Dec. 2.
With over 200 small businesses, downtown Annapolis will be a hub during this year's event.
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"Small Business Saturday supports the local small businesses that make your community unique and special and that traditionally give back to the community at a higher rate than companies headquartered out of area," said Erik Evans, executive director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership and the Annapolis Arts District.
Downtown Annapolis has a cozy, communal feel with its 95 retailers and 75 restaurants. The festive streetside decorations and the long list of holiday events make the city a popular pick for one of America's top Christmas towns.
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"Downtown Annapolis is known for having an old-fashioned Charles Dikens feel during the holiday season. It is a place where the local shops have not been taken over by self-checkout lanes and still offer customer service and a unique product mix," said a Nov. 19 press release from the Downtown Annapolis Partnership."
Small Business Saturday shoppers could win a local restaurant gift card by posting about their favorite downtown businesses. To enter, share photos or videos and use the hashtag #ShopLocalAnnapolis.
The festivities continue beyond Small Business Saturday.
Dec. 1 marks Artist Sunday, a grassroots campaign that encourages shopping from local artists, musicians, authors and performing arts organizations.
"Annapolis is filled with a vibrant arts community with fine art and craft galleries and shops, artist studios, bookstores, a record shop, entertainment venues and performing arts organizations that all offer the ability to buy gifts for friends and family to support the Annapolis arts scene," Evans said in the release. "The gift of giving an experience to a local concert, or performance or purchasing something created locally will be more appreciated by the receiver of the gift than a gift mass produced in another country."
Other holiday events in Annapolis include
- Chocolate Binge Festival (Dec. 1)
- Grand Illumination of the Downtown Annapolis Christmas tree (Dec. 1)
- Midnight Madness (Dec. 5, 12 and 19)
- Hanging of the Greens (Dec. 7)
- Annapolis Holiday Market (Dec. 12 to 19)
- Santa Speedo Run (Dec. 14)
- Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade (Dec. 14)
There are also holiday performances at Rams Head On Stage, Maryland Hall, the Classic Theatre of Maryland and other local venues.
Annapolis offers free hours of parking during the holidays. More details are posted here.
Small Business Saturday has drawn $163 billion in consumer spending since its inception.
There are 668,365 small businesses in Maryland, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 state profile. Small businesses account for 99.6 percent of all Maryland businesses.
With 1.1 million workers, small businesses employ 48.6 percent of the state's workforce.
Local businesses depend on increased sales in the last few months of the year to help them reach their revenue goals, and you’ll find plenty of in-store cheer and holiday happenings that will make the shopping experience fun.
Locally owned businesses recirculate a far greater percentage of revenue locally compared to absentee-owned businesses, according to the American Independent Business Alliance. Independents return about 48 percent of their revenues back into the local economy, compared to 14 percent returned to the local economy by chains.
Small businesses are typically defined by the federal government as those with fewer than 500 employees.
They are responsible for two of every three jobs over the past 25 years. Even a partial collapse of small businesses could weaken the overall U.S. economy, according to the Labor Department.
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