Celebrate Small Business Saturday in Carlsbad Village
Small Business Saturday is more than a shopping day—it’s a celebration of the heart and soul of our communities: the local businesses that make our neighborhoods vibrant, unique, and resilient.
Founded by American Express in 2010 during the Great Recession, Small Business Saturday was created to encourage holiday shoppers to support small, local businesses. The movement quickly gained momentum, earning official recognition from the U.S. Senate in 2011 and co-sponsorship from the Small Business Administration (SBA) since 2015. Today, the impact is undeniable: according to the SBA, 33.3 million businesses in the United States qualify as small businesses, representing a staggering 99.9% of all U.S. businesses.
Held annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving—nestled between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and just ahead of Giving Tuesday—Small Business Saturday reminds us of the vital role small businesses play in our economy and our daily lives. By choosing to shop small, we help preserve the character of our towns, support local jobs, and ensure our downtowns remain walkable, welcoming hubs of culture and commerce.
FiveStars, the nation’s largest rewards program for local businesses, once posed a powerful question that we revisit every year: “Imagine your neighborhood or city without any of its small, local businesses. Coffee shops, hair and nail salons, corner stores, spas, boutique clothing stores, consignment shops, restaurants, craft stores, bars, gift shops, pet stores, and more – all gone. What would be left? What would the streets look like?”
That’s why Small Business Saturday is serious business for the Carlsbad Village Association. Supporting downtown Carlsbad’s brick-and-mortar businesses is our mission every day—but on this day, we celebrate!
Join us on Saturday, November 29th, from 11am to 4pm at the corner of Grand Ave. and State St. for a festive afternoon of live music, shopping and dining discounts, and dozens of chances to win big. And we mean big! You could walk away with a $100 gift card to one of our amazing downtown restaurants or retailers, with over $2,000 in gift cards from our Gift Card Giveaway Tree.
Returning this year: A retail-oriented scavenger hunt designed to introduce you to hidden gems in our downtown business community. Complete the hunt and earn an extra entry into our fabulous Grand Prize drawing!
Let’s come together to celebrate the strength, creativity, and resilience of the small businesses that call Carlsbad Village home. We hope you’ll fall in love with our downtown—and keep shopping small all year long. Visit carlsbad-village.com/shopsmall for more details.