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With Thanksgiving having passed, millions of stores around the country followed up the holiday with one of their busiest days of the year, Black Friday. But while Back Friday is often seen as a windfall for bigger stores, there has been a growing push to support small and local businesses around the same time: Small Business Saturday.

This marketing initiative was created by American Express in 2011, with an aim at promoting what the title says, gift shopping at local stores. Those in Bainbridge that follow the Downtown Development Authority may have noticed several posts on the organization’s Facebook page promoting the concept.

“It used to be, Black Friday was all about your Wal-Mart, Target, big box stores. Now it’s different, a lot of the local stores are seeing big Black Fridays,” DDA special event coordinator Randee Eubanks told the Post-Searchlight in an interview. “We want people to focus on small business both Friday and Saturday, so we’re promoting Black Friday, as well as Small Business Saturday to get people out and about downtown.”

According to Eubanks, some local businesses are offering special discounts and door prizes for the event. Eubanks also agreed with some business owners when they say that they expect an increase in Black Friday sales this year. “A lot of people have been complaining about your Amazon and your online shopping, it’s not the two-day shipping anymore that people got used to,” she said. “I told Amanda Glover yesterday, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many people walking around shopping on a Tuesday downtown, and it’s the same way today, and we hope it will be the same way Friday and Saturday as well.”

“Bainbridge is booming, we have seen so many people out and about enjoying the holiday season already, and we just hope that everyone will continue to shop small, shop local, keep your money here in Bainbridge, and support those that will support you,” Eubanks concluded.