Not everyone is ecstatic about buying new TVs and half-price toasters, nor willing to wait outside a Walmart until midnight on Thanksgiving just to spend money on stuff.
For those who find the consumerist frenzy on display on Thanksgiving and Black Friday unappealing, if not troubling, then Small Business Saturday is a bit more appealing.
Even though Small Business Saturday was launched by American Express, it has emerged as a broader idea to promote locally owned businesses, regardless of the card in your wallet.
Here in Cranston, there's a plethora of businesses in Cranston that participate in Small Business Saturday. Gifts, florists, dozens of salons that offer gift cards, hardware stores, bakeries, clothes, chocolate, the list goes on and on.
For a list of stores in Cranston, American Express has a map with locations that take the card and will give you an extra discount.
But you shouldn't need a discount to be enticed into shopping in Cranston. There's Garden City Center, which has Santa arriving that morning coinciding with both large retailers like Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma and mom and pops operations like Sweenor's Chocolates and Studio B.
Swing through Rolfe Square and be sure to stop by Beads and More, check out the Park Theatre for tickets to an upcoming show (Michael Bolton, anyone?) and you can't ignore Betty's Candies. And check out Durfee Hardware — a genuine family-run hardware store that has anything for the do-it-yourselfer in your family.
On Oaklawn Avenue (Route 5) check out Sonya's, Stefania's Boutique, and Baskets and More.
In Edgewood, there's Art and Soul Gifts. On Reservoir Avenue there's Cranston Pawn Brokers and jewelry stores galore.
To poke through our directory of businesses in Cranston, click here.
Are you a small business owner participating in Small Business Saturday? Post your info in the comments!
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