Amid the frenzied spree of Black Friday and the calmer but still hectic rush of Cyber Monday lies Small Business Saturday. In the middle of what has become the biggest shopping weekend of the year is a 24-hour slot of time in which consumers are urged to spend money at locally-owned retailers.

Rather than taking advantage of stores that claim to have everything shoppers need (and more) or those with the lowest prices, customers are urged to patronize independent stores, even if it means spending a little more money or making a few more stops to pick up all the essentials.

Of course, low prices and one-stop shopping are the reasons we gravitate to big-box stores in the first place. But the benefits of shopping locally are clear: Stimulation of the immediate area’s economy, support of merchants who live and work in the community and the opportunity to find unique items not offered at other places.