Most people know all about Black Friday and the deals that come with it, but there’s actually another shopping holiday directly afterward called Small Business Saturday.

Kathy Sauer, president of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, says that the holiday brings attention back to local small businesses that might be dwarfed by national chains during Black Friday marketing.

“There’s a lot of promotion, but a lot that is national attention,” Sauer said. “Small Business Saturday brings it back to smaller home-owned businesses.”

Of course, the holiday is specifically targeted at retail, as this time of year is the heaviest shopping season for retailers specifically.

Sauer said that the holiday allows small businesses to get national attention in a competitive time, which helps level the playing field.

“Coming from the chamber, we want to build strong business and a strong retail area, so we want all of our businesses to be strong,” Sauer said. “But you see marketing for national businesses, so having Small Business Saturday is another way for us to get some additional marketing and attention for those small businesses that are working hard.”

Sauer explained that supporting local businesses is an important part of supporting the local economy, as taxes go back to the city and county. Small businesses are also usually family-owned and operated, so shopping with them directly helps those local families.

If these reasons weren’t enough, Sauer said that small businesses also provide some more unique products and personal, individual service and care.

“We want people to discover what our small businesses have to offer,” Sauer said. “We want people who might not normally come by to see what there is to offer and keep coming back.

Sarah Kelley, owner of Posh & P Boutique, echoed Sauer’s points about the importance of shopping at small businesses.

“Shopping locally benefits everyone,” Kelley said. “It helps the community grow financially be recirculating the money in the economy which helps the whole community.

“I also just like to see people walking around the Square eating and shopping local. It builds a sense of community. At a small business you know what people are looking fro and can interact with them more than you might at a big box store.”