<p>One day after county residents stand in lines at big box department stores and outlet shops seeking the best deals, their neighbors want a chance to earn their dollars.</p>
<p>Dozens of small businesses dot downtown Franklin where shoppers can find books, clothes, vintage items and toys, and sip on coffee and tea purchased from shops owned by their neighbors.</p>
<p>In Greenwood, people looking for hand-crafted holiday decor from Hoosier artisans, or refurbished furniture and other fun finds can go downtown to shop.</p>
<p>Small business owners around the county are vying for the business of local shoppers as they participate in Small Business Saturday, a nationwide effort that encourages people to keep their shopping dollars in their communities by shopping locally. In exchange, small business owners are touting the benefits of shopping local, which include personal touches not found online or in big box stores, and a pledge that some of the money goes straight back into the community in taxes paid and support of community activities.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>"It’s a good opportunity after the frenzy of Black Friday to remember that brick and mortar stores add to the quality of lives of our community," said Tiffany Phillips, owner of Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin.</p>
<p>American Express started Small Business Saturday in 2010 to connect local stores with shoppers in their own communities and to emphasize what makes small businesses unique. Now, it’s recognized by all 50 states and is included in a string of shopping days following the Thanksgiving holiday, which also includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday.</p>
<p>The Franklin Chamber of Commerce has hosted the Start Here Open House for the past seven years in support of Small Business Saturday. The first 75 people to show up at the chamber between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday will receive a gift certificate between $10 and $100 that can be used at some small businesses in Franklin.</p>
<p>Franklin has become a shopping and dining destination for people in the area. The event is meant to help draw people to Franklin to spend money at one of the 43 locally owned dining and shopping establishments sprinkled throughout downtown Franklin, and to remind people to support small businesses, which are the backbone of the community, said Rosie Chambers, executive director of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.</p>
<p>"It’s a way to stimulate shopping in the community," Chambers said. "This is what makes Franklin so special, our small businesses."</p>
<p>Restore Old Town Greenwood is giving out tote bags with items from local merchants from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Greenwood Homes Realty, 165 S. Madison Ave. The first 40 bags will have vouchers that can be used at participating merchants in Greenwood.</p>
<p>Restore Old Town Greenwood was started in 2010. Its mission is to promote a commercial and vibrant area in Old Town Greenwood, partly by promoting small businesses, according to the organization’s website.</p>
<p>Small business owners offer deals and sentiments that shoppers can’t get anywhere else.</p>
<p>Shoppers who want to pick out a book for someone on their Christmas list can get recommendations from staff at the Wild Geese Bookshop at 107 S. Water St., in Franklin, or they can talk to staff at Toodleydoo Toys on Franklin’s courthouse square if they have a youngster they need recommendations for.</p>
<p>Handmade items will be available at Whispering WillowTree, 50 S. Madison Ave., Greenwood, and customers can find more information about signing up for workshops that will teach them to make their own gifts, decor and cookies.</p>
<p>Some local shops also offer personal shopping, gift wrapping and other services. Those types of personal touches are what make shopping local special and creates a huge draw for shopping local, small shop owners said.</p>
<p>"You don’t get that kind of service wandering down the aisles of big box shops," said Debi Pierson, owner of Toodleydoo Toys.</p>
<p>Small businesses also hire local employees and unlike online merchants and some big box stores, money spent at a small business is going toward a neighbor who will pay taxes to their communities and contribute to local causes, Phillips said.</p>
<p>People are also more likely to get attentive service at a small business, Chambers said.</p>
<p>"More than anything, you are shopping literally with your neighbors," Pierson said. "A vote for me with dollars is a vote for this community."</p>
<p>In addition, small businesses are more likely to carry items that cannot be found anywhere else, said Tauria Catlin, owner of Middle Davids Artisan Candles.</p>
<p>Catlin stocks her store in downtown Franklin with more unique items such as jewelry, ceramics and other art that is handmade by 11 local artists as well as other artists from around the country. She specifically looks for items that do not look like they come from a department store, she said.</p>
<p>Catlin has also planned other events to draw shoppers in on Small Business Saturday, such as a coupon for $10 off if a customer spends $100. And local author, Lou Ellen Watts, will be be at the store from noon to 2 p.m. to talk about and sign copies of her book, "Sleeping in Dixie’s Feather Bed."</p>
<p>Whispering WillowTree opened this fall, and owner Stephanie Dixon is hoping that shoppers will line up at the store for Small Business Saturday the way they line up at department stores on Black Friday.</p>
<p>"I hope to expect a line around the building," she said.</p>
<p>Her shop is nestled in a converted old home in downtown Greenwood and features the work of local artisans, some of whom live in the county. All of the work is done by people living in Indiana, which is a major draw over big name department stores who get some of their goods internationally, she said.</p>
<p>"We are unique and different than the big box people," Dixon said.</p>
<p>Merchants who own small businesses are trying to make a living. Their business is their job, she said.</p>
<p>"We are entrepreneurs, this is our job, like (shoppers) have a job," Dixon said.</p>
<p>Owners of small businesses cite Small Business Saturday as the day when they get their largest amount of shopping traffic, but are also asking shoppers to support them year round.</p>
<p>"Small businesses need you on more than Small Business Saturday," Pierson said.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Restore Old Town Greenwood and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce are hosting special events in their communities to encourage people to shop small on Saturday.</p>
<p>The Franklin Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Start Here Open House between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. a their office, 120 E, Jefferson St.</p>
<p>The first 75 people to show up at the chamber will receive a gift certificate between $10 and $100 that can be used at some small businesses in Franklin.</p>
<p>Restore Old Town Greenwood is giving out tote bags with items from local merchants from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Greenwood Homes Realty, 165 S. Madison Ave. The first 40 bags will have money that can be used with participating merchants in Greenwood.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
