The City of Austin is encouraging people to invest in the Austin economy by spending local on Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday is an annual holiday shopping event after Thanksgiving and Black Friday that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs in Austin and across the country thrive.

“Small Business Saturday continues to be an important holiday shopping event—part of a larger effort to support small businesses throughout the year,” explains Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Director for the Economic Development Department. “We encourage Austinites to make a big impact by spending dollars locally.”

Small businesses help create jobs and bolster local economies across the U.S. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses generated almost 13 million new jobs over the last 25 years, accounting for two out of every three jobs added to the economy. In addition, the 2021 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights survey revealed that online shopping, an important source of revenue for small businesses, was up slightly in 2021 (58%), compared to 56% in 2020 and 43% in 2019.

Austinites hoping to support local businesses can shop with various local district that have a number of local restaurants, retail shops, and makers. A few of Austin’s culturally rich and diverse neighborhood business districts include:

• East Cesar Chavez District
• East 12th Street District
• North Lamar International District
• South Congress District
• Red River Cultural District

Small Business Saturday serves as a critical launch into the holiday spending season for many local, small businesses. This national celebration was founded in 2010 by American Express and officially co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) since 2011.