Support Your Favorite Small Business With a Patch Shout-Out

By Katie Ryan O'Connor

You might be the type of person who finds sleeping on a freezing sidewalk waiting for the best Black Friday deals exciting. Or perhaps you've already started working out your mouse-clicking finger for Cyber Monday. But if neither scenario appeals to you, there is an alternative--Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday, conceived in 2010 by American Express to help spotlight the efforts of small local businesses, comes at the beginning of the big holiday shopping sprint--today, Nov. 26--and encourages shoppers not to bypass Main Street for the mega-mall.

In recognition of Small Business Saturday, Hellertown Patch would love to hear which independently-owned Saucon Valley businesses you can't live without, and why you'll be patronizing them this holiday season.

Tell us in the comments section where you've shopped, what you've found and why you think others might want to stop in. Your shout-out could help a sector of our economy that has created 65 percent of the net new jobs over the last 17 years.

So, when you need a beautiful floral arrangement, when you're in search of that perfect gift for a spouse/loved one, or when you're planning the food selection for a holiday party, where do you go time and time again?