East Bay shoppers celebrate 15th anniversary of Small Business Saturday

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

It was originally created the day after Black Friday by American Express to remind shoppers of the importance of shopping small, rather than supporting big box retailers.

“Today already, it’s been non-stop all day, so we’ve had customers all day long, 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 shop.

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

MORE: San Jose shops hopeful for Small Business Saturday shopping traffic

And shoppers are getting rewarded too. They’re walking away with “I love Danville” tote bags, just for shopping at participating small businesses.

“And the small business owners, boy, now more than ever, they need that support, that love, that help,” 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 your local economy.

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

MORE: Black Friday shoppers flock to SF’s Union Square, soaking in holiday traditions

Meanwhile, in Pleasanton, more than 150 vintage vendors set up shop at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

“The things that you can find here are things that they don’t sell anymore in stores. And that’s what’s important about coming out and experiencing this, is that you’ll find unique items that you’ll never find in the big box stores or corporate places today,” said Amy Aragon, a co-owner of NES Relics.

Some, like NES Relics, are promoting “reduce, reuse, recycle” by selling hard-to-find items that are more than 20 years old.

“It’s real nostalgic, so it brings back a lot of memories, and it just continues to give and give and give, and the value of it increases every single day,” said Armando Aragon, a co-owner of NES Relics.

Others like Smuv Like Butta are keeping the Shark Tank dream alive.

MORE: Nearly 200 dedicated Black Friday shoppers line up early at SJ Bass Pro Shops

“Shark tank, we coming. Maybe one or two years, but we’re going to get there,” said Rob Stephens, CEO/co-founder of Smuv Like Butta.

The business sells a new form of organic body butter they make out of their home in San Carlos.

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

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

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