Love Upon Your Local Shops on Small Business Saturday

You don't have to dig too deep, or ponder too long, when it comes to the following fact: How we shop has changed, in numerous big and small ways, in 2020.

Browsing and buying online for our needs and occasional wants has been a hallmark of the pandemic, but staying closer to home has also been a major factor in how we shop, too.

Which makes Small Business Saturday 2020 an especially poignant, meaningful, and important occasion, one that benefits the buyer, the seller, and the community where the business is based.

For the shop down the street from you, a place you enjoyed before this year but didn't frequent all that much, may now be an essential go-to for you, for various sundries, gifts, and goodies.

Spend time on Saturday, Nov. 28 honoring that nearby shop, and the business owner you've come to know to better, and all the small businesses that already delight you or you're keen to know better.

For the Saturday after Thanksgiving is devoted to putting small businesses in the spotlight, whether they are the storefronts just down the block or across the country.

While past years have seen shop-and-stroll events around Southern California, the kind of happenings that find a number of neighboring businesses hosting open houses and in-person deals, 2020 will obviously look rather different.

But showing up, whether that's online or for a brief in-person stop-by, is more critical than ever to the futures of our local boutiques and mom-and-pop places.

Finding ways to "show up" in 2020? They're still plentiful, with several detailed here.

Has 2020 provided you more opportunities to explore your immediate area? And have you found a terrific toy store or book shop, one you've vowed to call upon again and again?

Start on Nov. 28, in honor of Small Business Saturday, and keep that local love going throughout the holidays and into 2021, too.