Shop Locally in the Canton Area on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24

Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 24 this year, two days after Thanksgiving. It is a day for everyone to support the small businesses that their community thrives on.

American Express founded the day in 2010 to help small businesses get exposure during the holiday season, when they might be otherwise overlooked. With retailers buzzing around the holidays, it is important to support local small businesses that rely on their neighbors in order to continue prospering and building the local economy in Canton.

"Since 1994, our mission is to provide our local communities a great neighborhood toy store experience where parents and grandparents can find unique toys that children will play with for hours," said Kathy Mabry of the Village Toy ShopThe people who work at The Village Toy Shop live in the same communities as our customers and are invested in learning about their children so they can suggest the perfect match of a toy that will help the child grow and develop. We also love to have fun at our stores - the toys are open and put to good use throughout the day by our favorite young customers and toy testers. This allows people to see firsthand how children interact with the toys and it helps people avoid buyer’s remorse when an item does not perform. The Village Toy Shop stands behind all their products and encourages people to give feedback - positive and negative. An added bonus of any shopping experience at our local stores is that we will wrap it all up for free and yes we do have Hanukkah and Christmas wrapping paper."

Last year, 100 million people nationwide participated in Small Business Saturday by shopping at locally owned stores to help boost the economy and their communities.

Below is a list of venues that qualify for participation on Small Business Saturday (to find more, click here):

• Sheila Donovan Pilates
• The News Stand
• Olivia's Neapolitan Pizza
• Centerfield's Bar & Grille
• Amber Road Cafe

You can also “like” Small Business Saturday on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/shopsmall.

Everyone has locally owned businesses in their community, and shopping on Small Business Saturday is the perfect way to give back to the businesses you know and love in your community.

TELL US: What small businesses do you patronize in the Canton area and what makes them great? Share in the comments below.