Small Business Saturday Boosts O.C. Shops
Orange County, CA – Sales at World of Wigs in Santa Ana soared 500 percent on Small Business Saturday, compared with a typical Saturday. And Toy Boat, Toy Boat, Toy Boat, a Corona del Mar toy store, tripled its sales from the post-Thanksgiving sales event in 2011.
American Express started promoting Small Business Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2010 to encourage shoppers to support their local merchants. This year, the credit card giant offered signs, door mats and $25 gift cards that participating merchants could give away and credit that its cardholders could receive on their next bill by shopping at qualified small businesses.
American Express reported Monday that about 500,000 small businesses nationwide participated this year. The company has not yet said how many consumers shopped locally on Saturday compared with the 103 million who spent money at small businesses during the 2011 Small Business Saturday.
