Many shoppers know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but this Christmas, Wilmore will offer a different shopping experience. 

On the Saturday following Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, Wilmore will offer “Small Business Saturday,” as an alternative to the regular Christmas shopping frenzy. 

“Small Business Saturday” was created in 2010, and has become a national event to support small businesses and the shop small movement —  an effort to encourage shoppers to purchase from local merchants — according to a press release from the Wilmore Community Development Board. 

“Small businesses struggle in order to compete against the big box stores,” said Director of the Wilmore Community Development Board, Judy Woolums. 

Woolums said small businesses tend to offer more knowledge of the product and their customers. 

“They just keep a community alive,” she said. 

This will be Wilmore’s third year hosting the event, and the second year of offering it for an entire week.  

Woolums said the feedback last year was very positive, and around 200 to 300 forms were filled out. 

“I expect it to be even bigger this year as people become familiar with it,” she said. 

Shop Small will begin the day after Thanksgiving and end on Saturday Dec. 3, the same day of the Wilmore’s Old Fashioned Musical Christmas. 

“That gives people a full week to take advantage,” Woolums said.  

Around 20 different Wilmore businesses and services — identified by the “Welcome to the Neighborhood” door mats and the “You’re Invited to Shop Small” posters — will be giving away tote bags and ink pens supplied by American Express to purchasing customers. With each purchase, shoppers can enter a drawing for one of four $25 gift certificates to any of the participating businesses. 

This event is sponsored by American Express and the Wilmore Community Development Board, which works to preserve, restore and revitalize downtown Wilmore and businesses throughout the community.

“It just calls attention to look around,” Woolums said. “Maybe avoid traffic on Nicholasville Road and shop local.”