In recent years, the craziness of Black Friday has become something of a cultural phenomenon. Admit it–if you’re not one of the half-crazed people standing in line outside a store on Thanksgiving evening, you’re glued to your TV watching the local news as they broadcast footage of malls flooded with manic shoppers.

Black Friday is impressive, to be sure, but this year we encourage you to also take advantage of Small Business Saturday. November 26 this year is a chance to support the local small businesses that make our communities thrive. Unlike big businesses, small, locally-owned businesses keep a large share of their earnings invested in the communities they call home, so when you shop local, your dollars spent have much greater impact.

At Vander Giessen Nursery this year we’re excited to once again participate in Small Business Saturday. Here’s how we’re taking part:

• This year, we’re offering 20% off nearly our full selection of garden tools, which includes a wide variety of great gift ideas for gardeners, including the ever-popular Deadheads garden snips, memory-foam kneeling pads, Japanese garden tools and Felco pruners, to name a few.
• Saturday only, we’ll have a special deal on Bond yard carts (or garden wagons) as well–regularly $89.99, now $49.99. (Limit 1 per customer.)
• We’ll be giving away free reusable shopping bags to customers while supplies last as well.

When you stop in, we encourage you to share your experience on social media with the hashtag #ShopSmall. Let your friends see what shopping local looks like–there’s no question, it’s not going to be the crazy Black Friday experience! This holiday shopping season, thank you for supporting local small businesses. Our doors are open and we look forward to the opportunity to serve you!