Small business owners hoping to reel in holiday shoppers are promoting the second annual Small Business Saturday in New York and 14 other U.S. cities.
The small-business promotion was first announced in 2010 by Mayor Bloomberg and American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault.
It takes place the day after Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. It is intended to encourage shoppers to patronize independent local businesses.
Small Business Saturday is a day for local merchants around the country to capitalize on the busiest shopping weekend of the year by encouraging people to "shop small," says the American Express website dedicated to the movement.
Merchants in Tribeca are celebrating Small Business Saturday with live music, raffles and demonstrations by businesses, including a nail salon.
Shoppers usually patronize big-box stores that launch heavy advertising campaigns aimed at holiday bargain hunters on Black Friday -- and they usually shop at national chains for deals on Cyber Monday, which is one of the busiest online shopping days of the year.
The Small Business Administration estimates there are nearly 780,000 small businesses in New Jersey. New York has more than two million small businesses.
