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There is a pretty good chance that as you are reading this, work has already begun on Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast and celebration.

You’re mentally checking the boxes of everything you have to get done as you prepare for a day with family and friends. You may even be “thankful” that everything is coming together so smoothly and with any luck you’ll have everything tied off in such a way as to be fully prepared and rested for Black Friday shopping. 

We, of course, understand that Friday is a big day for holiday shopping — so much so in fact that the day itself has been pushed beyond the one-day shopping extravaganza to several days. Box stores and chains will have their deals they hope will be too good to pass up. Indeed, shoppers spend millions of dollars each holiday season on Black Friday to pick up deals that involve everything from TVs to gaming platforms to kitchen appliances.

However, we hope that in your haste to buy the next big thing, you don’t forget about the following day when small businesses will be waiting for their shoppers.

Small Business Saturday is, in our eyes, just as important to our local economy as Black Friday. In many ways, we would argue, it’s even more important. These are our neighbors, our friends and our family. We see the people that own small businesses when we’re shopping, when we’re going out to eat and when we browse their wares. 

Many of our small businesses may not have the really big flashy deals of the box stores, but they have great deals nonetheless and they mean more because they are us. They are community.

To shop a local business not only affords unique shopping experiences and Christmas presents, it affords a flourishing economy and the means in which local businesses need in order to continue thriving in a small market.

Box stores and chains will get their money. It’s inevitable, but sometimes small businesses are overlooked. That shouldn’t happen. Small businesses allow us to find that gift that shows heart while at the same time letting owners know that they are thought of and are uniquely important.

This coming Black Friday will once again see millions spent, but we urge you to make every bit of an effort to visit our small businesses right here in Austin and Mower County. Let our business community know that during this holiday season, we are here for them.