This November 30th is the ten-year anniversary of Small Business Saturday. This annual event is designed to remind people to buy local from the many small businesses in their community. 88 million consumers nationwide make an effort to make a purchase from a locally owned small business on this day and many continue shopping local throughout the year. Shopping local keeps your community unique and special. “We vote with our dollars everyday on which business will succeed and which ones will close. Let’s make sure Annapolis remains that special place by supporting the businesses in your community,” says Erik Evans the Executive Director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership.
The businesses in Downtown Annapolis and the Annapolis Arts District are gearing up for this big weekend that officially kicks off the shopping season. The holiday decoration and window displays are going up and the downtown area is starting to look magical. The merchants and restaurants are ready to meet shoppers and help them find unique gifts, provide old fashioned customer service and they even have free gifts at select locations. They encourage you to get to know your local shop owners by name and enjoy shopping in your community. “This is a day where we say thank you for supporting small businesses and you can say thank you to the locally owned businesses that work hard to make our community unique and special,” says Matt Schatzle, Chairman of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership.
Annapolis Parking has free and discounted parking options at:
- The Calvert Street Garage – free all weekend at 19 St. Johns Street
- The John Whitmore Garage – free for Small Business Saturday and free until 4pm on Sunday at 25 Clay Street
- Parking Meters are free for 3 hours when you use code ParkDTA on the Parkmobile APP
- $5 all-day parking is available when you prepay at www.annapolisparking.comfor Knighton Garage and Park Place Annapolis Garage for Small Business Saturday in Annapolis.
Be one of the first shoppers in downtown Annapolis and get a free Small Business Saturday Tote Bag at:
- Alpaca International
- Blanca Flor Silver Jewelry
- Capital Comics
- The Gateway Florist
- Graul’s Market-Annapolis & Cape St. Claire
- Gritz Liquors
- Hobo International Handbags
- Hudson & Fouquet Salon
- Irish Traditions
- Iron Rooster Annapolis – General Store
- Kim Howell Photography
- Kilwin’s in Annapolis
- Lilac Bijoux
- Local by Design Downtown Annapolis
- The Lucky Knot
- Maryland Federation of Art
- Mills Fine Wine and Spirits
- Museum Store and Historic Annapolis
- Nancy Hammond Editions
- RASA juice shop
- Ruby Salon
- Sadona Salon + Spa
- Shades of the Bay
- The Spice & Tea Exchange
- Varuna Aveda Salon Spa
- Whitehall Gallery
Be sure to follow the Small Business Saturday in Annapolis event on Facebook where additional updates will be listed as merchants continue to announce events and specials.
When you visit downtown Annapolis for Small Business Saturday be sure to shop on West Street, State Circle, Maryland Ave, Main Street, Market Space, Randall Street, and Dock Street. All of these areas have unique shopping and dining experiences. There is even a free Circulator Shuttle to help you get you and your gifts back to any downtown parking garage.
