Old Town Alexandria preps for big Small Business Saturday
The turkey is done and now is the time to shop.
However, you might want to skip out on Black Friday or Cyber Monday and instead spend during Small Business Saturday. This year, it is expected to be a busy Saturday to shop in Alexandria, Virginia.
“Old Town Alexandria really comes alive during the holiday season,” said Rebecca Doser, director of communications at Visit Alexandria.
Small Business Saturday is slowly becoming more popular than Black Friday. Shoppers spent nearly $18 billion last year, according to a survey by American Express, with a large portion of them understanding the impact it has on their local community.
Fifty local shops in Alexandria are hoping to get in on that this holiday.
“The holiday season is really the biggest time for some of our small businesses in Alexandria. It can really be a make-or-break time for some of these small businesses,” Doser said.
Stores will open at 7:30 a.m. and stay open until 8:30 p.m.
“It’s much better than shopping on Amazon,” she said.
Alexandria resident Jacob Ferree said he’ll be shopping in person this weekend.
“Online is certainly easier sometimes, but I like to get out and support the small businesses as well,” Ferree said.
The shops will have incentives to come in-person, put on real clothes, and enjoy in-store deals and homemade treats.
“That would get me to come out, I’m all for a little snack,” he joked.