Small Business Saturday has been around for 15 years, but it appears a lot of Americans still aren't familiar with the initiative, which takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

A survey by Lending Tree found that only 46% of American consumers are familiar with Small Business Saturday. However, once they learned about the initiative 53% said they would participate.

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The idea behind Small Business Saturday is to help give local businesses a holiday boost since big box retailers get most of the attention on Black Friday.

It was started by American Express in 2010 and was co-sponsored by the Small Business Administration the following year.

The U.S. Small Business Administration says $17 billion was spent at small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2023.

People are encouraged to get the word out about the 33 million small businesses in the country. Shoppers are encouraged to share their experiences on social media by using the #ShopSmall hashtag.

Click here for a link to find small businesses in your area.