The hashtag is #ShopSmallBoise, but the Downtown Association hopes Small Business Saturday translates to big money for shops and restaurants.
“Shopping local and shopping small businesses is a way to keep your community vibrant," say Karlee May of the Downtown Boise Association (DBA). "Having that exciting atmosphere to go shop in – and to remember that the small businesses need your support just as much as anybody else.”
The one-day event started as an American Express initiative to encourage people to shop locally the day after Black Friday, but Small Business Saturday has been adopted by communities around the country.
“We promote downtown as a one-stop-shop just as you might consider a mall a one-stop-shop."
May says they’ve seen up uptick in people choosing to spend more money downtown now that the Great Recession is in the rear-view mirror.
“[T]here’s definitely been a shift towards choosing how you want to spend your dollars, and a lot of that is turning into supporting local and small businesses.”
May says after people go shopping, the Downtown Association hopes they check out the tree lighting in the Grove Plaza from 5-7 p.m. Saturday night.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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