Whatever money you might have available Saturday could go to your friendly neighborhood locally-owned retailer.

That’s the thinking behind Small Business Saturday.

“Last year, shoppers spent about $14 billion at locally-owned stores and restaurants across America on Small Business Saturday,” says Kim Maisch, Illinois director of the National Federation of Independent Business, “and that was actually an increase of about two percent from the year before.”

It’s a marketing gimmick to call attention to the “little guys” during the big, long retail weekend. Maisch says the idea is to spotlight the persevering retailers who offer unique goods, personalized service, and competitive prices – and, Maisch adds, “sponsor the local Little League team.”