On Thursday, November 1, American Express revealed its lineup of community programs for the ninth annual Small Business Saturday, taking place nationwide on November 24. Small Business Saturday, founded by American Express in 2010, is held each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to shop at independently owned businesses online and at storefronts across the country.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is All for Small

Lin-Manuel Miranda teams up with American Express to support Small Business Saturday and the Shop Small movement.

This year, Lin-Manuel Miranda, American Express Global Brand Ambassador and creator of hit Broadway musical Hamilton, is joining in to help bring awareness to the Shop Small movement and expand its presence in Puerto Rico. Miranda shares American Express’ values of building enduring relationships and supporting communities through small businesses.

“When you Shop Small, you are backing the small businesses that strengthen and diversify our communities,” said Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express. “We’re extremely proud of how Small Business Saturday has grown over the past nine years. This year, we are excited to be working with Lin-Manuel Miranda and other local small business advocates who embody the spirit and passion of Small Business Saturday across the country and in Puerto Rico.”

“Communities like mine, Washington Heights in New York City, are made special and unique by small businesses. I’ve stayed in my community because neighbors are family, commercial strips are vibrant with bakeries, restaurants serve food as if your grandmother made it, and bodegas are stocked with what you need,” says Miranda. “I’m excited to join American Express in celebrating Small Business Saturday this year, as they make communities stronger by supporting local business owners like my pharmacist Manny and my barber George.”

American Express is expanding its Small Business Saturday support to Puerto Rico this year, as local businesses continue to get back on their feet after last year’s storms. American Express will be supporting the island’s businesses in partnership with the Government of Puerto Rico through its Trade and Exports Company and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Puerto Rico District Office, Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, LGBTTQ Chamber, and the Puerto Rico Product Association (Hecho en Puerto Rico).

Miranda will star in this year’s Small Business Saturday television ad, debuting in November. In August 2018, he was featured in an ad about how his community of Washington Heights has fueled his personal and professional growth — and how American Express has had his back along the way.

Let’s All Shop Small This Small Business Saturday

From coast to coast, communities are planning Small Business Saturday celebrations. Want to join in on the fun? These activities, proudly backed by American Express, are a great place to start, helping to make this year’s Small Business Saturday special for everyone:

• Shop Handmade Gifts at Etsy Pop-Ups: American Express and Etsy have teamed up for the second year in a row to celebrate online small business owners from coast to coast. On Small Business Saturday, Etsy sellers will host pop-up markets in San Francisco, Austin, D.C., and Boston as destinations to shop locally crafted, one-of-a-kind items this holiday season. Visit Etsy.com [5] to find details on local Etsy seller markets near you.
• Join Fierce Women with The Wing: The Wing, a network of co-working and community spaces designed for women, will support entrepreneurs again this Small Business Saturday by hosting Shop Small Stations at women-owned businesses in New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Shoppers can kick off their day at the Shop Small Stations with fun amenities, treats, and special Shop Small maps of curated local businesses. More information is available here [6].   
• Jam with Record Store Day: Record Store Day will celebrate independent record stores with four limited-edition vinyl album releases from Kid Doe, (Particle Kid [7] + John Doe) [8], Ben Folds [9], Tony Bennett [10] + Diana Krall [11], and Ingrid Michaelson [12]. The special-edition releases will hit shelves at record stores across the country on Small Business Saturday. Find more information and a record store near you at www.recordstoreday.com [13]. Also, be sure to check out the following live performances at independent record stores on November 24:
  • Particle Kid at Fingerprints [14] in Long Beach, CA
    • To attend the performance, be sure to purchase a pre-sale of the special release album; call the store at (562) 433-4996 for more details
  • John Doe at 1-2-3-4! Go Records [15] in Oakland, CA
    • To attend the performance, be sure to purchase a pre-sale of the special release album; check the store website for details
  • Ben Folds at Rough Trade [16] in Brooklyn, NY
    • To attend the performance, be sure to purchase a pre-sale of the special release album; check the store website for details
  • Crack the Sky at The Sound Garden [17] in Baltimore, MD
    • Performance will be open to the public on a first-come basis
• Get Lost in Your Local Bookstore with Indies First: Indies First, the national campaign by the American Booksellers Association (ABA) supporting independent bookstores on Small Business Saturday, will once again mark the day by showing love for independent bookstores. MahoganyBooks [18] in D.C. will host Jason Reynolds, author of the bestselling Track series, for a talk and signing from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET on Small Business Saturday. In addition, American Express has teamed up with ABA and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing around the initiative #IndiesGiveBack. The initiative will provide 20,000 special edition copies of Reynolds’ book Ghost to participating independent booksellers to give to young readers in underserved communities on or around Small Business Saturday.
• Celebrate with Your Neighborhood: More than 6,700 small business owners, individuals, and community organizations have already pledged to be Neighborhood Champions this year, committing to host events and activities to rally their communities on Small Business Saturday. Shop Small enthusiasts can show their love for small businesses in their communities by getting out with family and friends to attend Neighborhood Champion events. Find Neighborhood Champions near you [19].

Millions of shoppers, food lovers, public officials, and other supporters pledged their support on Small Business Saturday last year. This year, check with your local businesses and community organizations to see what they have planned for Small Business Saturday. Everyone is also welcome to join the movement on social media by using the hashtags #ShopSmall and #SmallBizSat. You can also RSVP on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page [20] to Shop Small this November 24 and receive reminders.

Support Your Favorite Main Street: In the lead up to Small Business Saturday, American Express and The National Trust for Historic Preservation — in collaboration with Main Street America — continued their work with Partners in Preservation: Main Streets, a community-based partnership to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities. The program is inspired by the Shop Small movement and this year the campaign committed $2 million in grants to historic sites on America’s Main Streets, which reflect the development of our diverse nation and the struggle for equal rights, as determined by public vote.