Small Business Saturday: East Bay shops local on the 15th anniversary of the annual post-Black Friday shopping day

DANVILLE, Calif. (KGO) — Saturday marked the 15th anniversary of Small Business Saturday.

It was originally launched by American Express the day after Black Friday to remind shoppers of the importance of buying in small quantities rather than supporting big retailers.

“It’s been non-stop all day already, so we’ve had customers all day, which is nice,” said Jacqui Amayo, the owner of Danville Chocolates.

In downtown Danville, Amayo saw no shortage of hungry customers lining up at her store.

“It’s just great when people come in and see the place and feel it, and that doesn’t happen when you shop on Amazon,” she said.

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And buyers are rewarded too. They go home with “I Love Danville” tote bags just to shop at participating small businesses.

“And small business owners need that support, that love, that help now more than ever,” said John Kabateck, the California director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

The National Federation of Independent Business represents about 13,000 small businesses across the state.

Kabateck says shopping small means feeding the local economy.

“Small Business Saturday really reminds people how important it is that we support these small businesses that help create jobs and strengthen our tax base, which really helps our local services,” he said. “Our schools, our hospitals, filling our potholes, definitely our first responders.”

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More than 150 vintage dealers have now set up shop at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

“The things you can find here are things that are no longer available in stores. And the most important thing about coming here and experiencing this is that you’ll find unique items that you’ll never find in the big box stores or corporate locations today,” said Amy Aragon, co-owner of NES Relics.

Some, like NES Relics, promote “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” by selling hard-to-find items that are more than 20 years old.

“It’s really nostalgic, brings back a lot of memories and just keeps on giving, and the value increases every day,” said Armando Aragon, co-owner of NES Relics.

Others like Smuv Like Butta keep the shark tank dream alive.

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“Shark Tank, here we come. Maybe a year or two, but we’ll get there,” said Rob Stephens, CEO/co-founder of Smuv Like Butta.

The company is selling a new form of organic body butter that it makes at its home in San Carlos.

“Obviously we can’t compete with the bigger brands and stuff like that, but we all have to start small and we all have to start somewhere, so getting the support for the small businesses is always two thumbs up,” Stephens said.

Last year, Americans spent more than $17 billion on Small Business Saturday, a record that experts say will be broken in 2024.

“Santa may be going through the roof, but I think small business profits are really going to go through the roof,” Kabateck said.