Many see Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as a chance to begin the holiday shopping season with sales at the largest retailers.Park City leaders want shoppers to skip the big box stores on the following day.The Park City Council again has proclaimed Nov. 30 to be Small Business Saturday in the community, endorsing a national promotion designed to encourage people to choose small businesses that day. Small businesses are more likely to be locally owned and money spent at them is widely considered to remain in a community.The one-page resolution, approved unanimously last week, notes the municipal government “celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy and community.” It also explains that “68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business in the United States stays in the local community” and that “every dollar spent at small businesses creates an additional 48 cents in local business activity as a result of employees and local businesses purchasing local goods and services.”The elected officials through the resolution “urge the residents of our community, and communities across the country, to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.”The elected officials did not discuss the resolution in any depth before the vote. Representatives from the Main Street business community briefly addressed the mayor and City Council in support of the resolution.The holiday shopping period is generally not seen as being as critical to Park City retailers as it can be elsewhere, since the wider ski season is when much of the economic activity occurs in the community. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, though, provides Park City retailers an opportunity to boost sales numbers before the busiest stretches of the ski season.“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our city, and we salute small business owners, entrepreneurs, and employees for enhancing our community and expanding opportunities for all the residents of Park City and the surrounding communities,” a City Hall report drafted in anticipation of the recent meeting says. “The hard work and ingenuity of our small business owners are helping to sustain our economic strength, vitality and authenticity.”It also says: “By proclaiming Saturday, November 30, 2024, Small Business Saturday, Park City will be joining in a nationwide effort to steer shoppers toward local independently-owned businesses during the holiday season and urge the residents of our community and communities across the country to support small businesses and merchants throughout the year.”The Park City government sees itself as supporting small businesses on a year-round basis. In one important step, leaders enacted a cap on the number of chain stores allowed on Main Street.The Historic Park City Alliance, which represents businesses in the Main Street core, is preparing for the holiday shopping season and supports the Small Business Saturday effort.“It’s a really, really important day for a small business on Main Street,” the executive director of the group, Ginger Wicks, said in an interview.She said the Saturday after Thanksgiving launches the winter shopping period after the fall shoulder season.The Historic Park City Alliance plans a tree-lighting ceremony at Miners Park at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and there will be holiday musicians on Main Street starting at noon. A holiday window display competition begins on Saturday as well. Wicks said many businesses on Main Street plan Small Business Saturday promotions.The post Park City leaders urge shoppers to pick small businesses on Saturday appeared first on Park Record.