Shops, vendors prepare for community to ‘shop small’ Saturday
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Black Friday is coming to an end, but small businesses are just getting started.
This Saturday is one of the busiest days of the year for local shops: Small Business Saturday.
Shops will open at 9 a.m., giving freebies to their first customers. The deals are happening all over central Indiana.
Amander Mauer Taflinger is the owner of Homespun, a Mass. Ave shop dedicated to homemade goods.
“It’s fun. People aren’t pushing each other down for discount deals, stuff like that,” she said. “We do a lot of our income-a huge chunk of our annual income-during the holiday season.”
Taflinger expects to see a line when she opens up. The first 10 customers will get a “swag bag” with freebies.
Shops on Mass Ave are giving out 250 swag bags-more than $5,000 worth of goods.
Indy Reads Books stocked their shelves earlier this week. The book store is a nonprofit that funds reading classes for adults.
“You will be not only buying Christmas gifts for your loved ones, but you’ll be supporting adult literacy here in central Indiana,” manager Meredith Hylton said.
Other neighborhoods are also joining the fun, including shops in Broad Ripple, Fountain Square and Irvington.
The old Coca-Cola bottling plant on Mass Ave will be open for free parking.
There will also be a pop-up shop on Broad Ripple Avenue with more than 30 local vendors.
American Express is sponsoring the event.