For Small Business Owners Black Friday is the Dress Rehearsal

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) –Black Friday and Cyber Monday – this weekend is full of finding the right gift at the right price.

But it’s not just the time to shop chain stores and websites.

Sandwiched in between those big shopping days is Small Business Saturday, a time to bring the holiday buying down to the local level..is a time to give big while shopping small..

Local stores are working hard getting ready for a busy weekend full of shoppers. But for many of them Black Friday is just the preview.

“Shop small Saturday is about every independent store every small business and we always say that when you shop with the small store you are making a dream come true” says Jewel Shoppe co-owner Mary Snow.

Shops have been prepping for weeks to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Stephanie’s Shenanigans owner Stephanie Smith is ready for the rush. “Well we are stocked fully for the Christmas season and that means for a store like mine that we have lots of Christmas merchandise but we also have lots of regular merchandise because everything that’s purchased it’s not a holiday items although it may be a gift for the holidays season.”

And Small Business Saturday can have a *BIG* impact on the local economy..

“First of all it’s great for the tax base and also it’s about keeping the small businesses going these are people that you know and you go to church with you see you at restaurants you just have so many connections with them and these are people that are going to make sure that they bring the very best to their customer.”

And you know you’ll get good customer service, because in these businesses every customer is important..

“It keeps our business going but I mean if we provide the services here in Louisville for our customers we sort of depend on them to come and shop with us when they need something here in town.”

“It points out to folks the Hometown thing I’m in a small town obviously were limited I mean the number of places that we have and certainly the specialty shops that we have but the more people realize to shop at home the more of those specialty shops can have the things they are looking for when the time comes.”