Austin stores tap on Small Business Saturday

AUSTIN (KXAN) – It’s a day dedicated to spending money on local mom and pop stores. Small Business Saturday is this weekend, and the city of Austin hopes you will do your holiday shopping at local businesses.

“We encourage customers to visit Austin Business Districts throughout the year to make a big impact. By spending your dollars locally, you are investing back into your community,” said Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, acting director of the Department of Economic Development, in a message.

Companies are still trying to come back after the pandemic forced many of them to fire staff, close their doors for extended periods or interfere with online and edge shopping.

In 2020, local businesses told KXAN that they saw an increase in pedestrian traffic during Small Business Saturday, but that they were still nowhere near breaking out due to the impact of the pandemic on small businesses in particular.

Local shops are seeing an increase in pedestrian traffic for Small Business Saturday, but are nowhere near breaking out

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of Americans either work for or own a small business. The city of Austin noted that most small businesses report Small Business Saturday, and holiday shopping in general, will help them keep their doors open until 2022.