Small Business Saturday 2019: Where To Shop In Manhattan

MANHATTAN, NY — Independently owned shops in Manhattan are participating in Small Business Saturday, established a decade ago to help them compete against malls, big box stores and online retailers during the holiday shopping season.

Small Business Saturday, held annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, was created to give them a boost and help level the field of competition. This year, the 10th anniversary of the “Shop Small” movement, the all-local shopping event falls on Nov. 30.

In Manhattan, there are thousands of businesses participating, many of which will offer sales and discounts throughout the day. You can find maps of businesses that are participating by neighborhood or merchant name here.

Some hotspots throughout the borough will be hosting their own "Shop Small" events, including tree lightings, small business pop-ups and specific promotions for some of Manhattan's biggest commercial corridors.

Here's a look at what to check out:

• Buy Local East Harlem will host a Small Business Saturday breakfast and guided tour that features a number of businesses in the bustling neighborhood such as Harlem Underground, the Brownstone Boutique, 116th Flowers, Pabade Bakery and East Harlem's outdoor marketplace La Marqueta.
• Yorkville Buy Local is organizing a walking tour to showcase small businesses in the Upper East Side neighborhood. The event, which is co-sponsored by Community Board 8, will feature at least 8 small businesses including Schaller & Weber, Logos Bookstore, HomBom Toys and City Swiggers.
• The East Village Independent Merchants Association is partnering with cultural organization FABnyc to offer shoppers to distribute free bags to shoppers at small businesses in the East Village and Lower East Side. Check out which stores will carry the bags.
• More Small Business Saturday "neighborhood champions" include organizations such as the Chinatown Partnership, Columbus Avenue Bid, Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber Of Commerce, Harlem Park To Park and Meatpacking District Bid. Check with those groups for more Small Business Saturday events and promotions.
• Shopping at holiday markets around Manhattan is a great way to support small businesses. Markets are now open at Union Square, Bryant Park's Winter Village and the Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair. Unfortunately, the popular Columbus Circle market doesn't open until Dec. 5.

Some Manhattan businesses were also included in American Express' New York City guide of the best hotspots to check out. The American Express list heavily favors Midtown and Lower Manhattan, with just one business located above 60th street making the list.

Did we miss an event in Manhattan? Tell us in the comments or send an email to brendan.krisel@patch.com and we'll add it to the list.

American Express established Small Business Saturday in 2010 to help local businesses reeling from the Great Recession. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution a year later encouraging businesses in all 50 states to participate in what has morphed into a nationwide “shop small” movement.

This year, the stakes are even higher for small businesses. Rising rents and shifting consumer behavior are causing many small business owners to shutter their shops, according to American Express.

A Shop Small Consumer Impact survey from American Express found that 73 percent of people think empty storefronts are a national issue, and 84 percent agree the increase in empty storefronts and the closing of small, independently owned businesses negatively affects their local communities.

“We recognize the hardships faced by small business owners today and want to inspire people to take notice and Shop Small to support their communities on Small Business Saturday and beyond,” Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express, said in a news release. “Retail is changing, but local shops are the fabric of our communities, helping them to thrive in the future is part of our brand ethos and backing promise.”

Since 2010, local business supporters have spent $103 billion on Small Business Saturday, according to American Express.

But that’s only part of the story. For every dollar spent at a U.S. small business, approximately 67 cents stays in the local community — and it helps independent shops and restaurants keep their doors open and pay their workers.

That amounts to about $67 billion that has stayed in local communities since Small Business Saturday began, according to American Express.

The American Express survey showed that when consumers are aware of the impact of spending their dollars locally, 75 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a product or service from small, independently owned businesses.

Shopping small isn’t just a Thanksgiving weekend retail event, but a year-long movement, according to American Express, which says it is launching a marketing campaign to make consumers more aware of the impact they can have on their communities when they support local businesses.

“We believe in backing small businesses because we know they strengthen the communities where we live and work,” Anna Marrs, president of Global Commercial Services at American Express, said in the news release.