Small Business Saturday this weekend

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Since 2010, American Express has promoted the Saturday following Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. The event is meant to bring focus to the many independent and locally owned brick and mortar businesses within cities across the country, often overshadowed during that weekend for big box Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping campaigns.

Locally, Main Street Van Wert has organized a special shopping promotion among the downtown Van Wert merchants each year, and is rolling out a 2016 Shop Small raffle for this Saturday, November 26.

Each participating downtown shop has a limited amount of Shop Small merchandise to give away to shoppers that day, provided by American Express. Along with many individual store promotions, shoppers will be given raffle tickets for every purchase made at a participating shop. The downtown merchants have assembled a fantastic prize basket, valued at over $300, of beautiful gifts and store certificates.

“Each raffle ticket is a chance to win this gift basket, so the more you shop, the more chances you have to win,” explains MSVW Program Manager Adam Ries.

The winning raffle ticket will be drawn the following week, the winning shopper notified by phone or email.

“Communities thrive when small businesses thrive,” Ries added. “Small Business Saturday is about putting the spotlight on the businesses that make our city unique and who generously support community projects all year long.”

Main Street Van Wert encourages residents to make a special effort this Saturday to shop local.