What happens when you put small business Saturday together with a bunch of cats?

Yes, hi, I'd like the place in order.

It becomes small business catter day.

I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Saturday, December 18th, and this is no ordinary episode of the 10 News. This is the 10 News

gets extra. 10. 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. There's only one more week of holiday shopping before

Christmas. Can you believe it? Have you or your family been trying to

shop small? It's been a tough decade for small businesses. During the holiday shopping season,

a major time for earning profits, local shops were losing customers because of big deals

at large chains and online stores. Some small stores were closing down.

In 2010, American Express, the credit card company,

partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation

to promote a national day to shop with small local businesses.

It became known as Small Business Saturday and occurs every year

on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The event is grown and it's led to the movement to

shop small. There are 32 million small businesses in the United States and Small Business Saturday

helped these businesses make $19.8 billion last year.

Wow.

So why should we shop small?

Helping local businesses stay open helps communities.

Small business owners are invested in the future of their towns, villages, and neighborhoods.

By shopping small, buyers are investing in originality, variety, innovation, and choice in the products and services available where they live.

American Express has created an online tool to help you find local small businesses. Check it out in the show notes. Do you and your family try to shop small? Let us know. Email us at hello at the 10news.com and shout out your

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