History of Small Business Saturday in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: December 1, 2024

Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday in the United States held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, falling between November 24th and 30th. Created by American Express, it aims to encourage consumers to support small, local businesses during the busy holiday shopping season. It serves as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which focus on large retailers and online deals. Small Business Saturday promotes the importance of local businesses to communities and offers them a dedicated day to attract customers and boost sales. It is a significant annual event for small businesses across the nation.

November 27, 2010: First Small Business Saturday in the US

On November 27, 2010, the first Small Business Saturday was observed in the United States as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, aiming to encourage holiday shoppers to support local small businesses.

2010: Creation and Promotion of Small Business Saturday

In 2010, American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Roslindale Village Main Street, created Small Business Saturday. Amex launched a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign, provided Facebook ad inventory to small merchants, and offered rebates to new customers.

2010: Early Use of #SmallBusinessSaturday Hashtag

Since early 2010, the Twitter hashtag #SmallBusinessSaturday was used to promote small businesses on any Saturday, not just the one between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Similar to #FollowFriday, it highlighted favorite local businesses. Some businesses also ran special promotions on the November Small Business Saturday.