Small Business Saturday Recap

Small Business Saturday is a yearly event that takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving, after being founded by American Express in 2010. The idea is to promote small businesses and the impact they make on their local communities. Close to 200 small businesses around Appleton, Green Bay and Heart of the Valley took the idea to shop locally on Saturday one step further.  They offered a “Small Business Passport” as a way for customers to receive rewards such as specials, discounts, and refreshments as they “Shopped Small”. Many businesses reported record-setting sales, and all were excited with the turnout and energy of the day. Over 1630 passports were turned in with five stamps indicating they had supported at least five different Green Bay, Heart of the Valley and Appleton small local businesses that day.  From the 1630 passports, over 200 shoppers were awarded prizes valued over $7,500 within the participating communities.