Black Friday is known for drawing crowds of eager shoppers to big-box stores, but smaller shops use Small Business Saturday to promote the idea of supporting local retailers and keeping holiday spending in the community. Small Business Saturday takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving and was started by American Express in 2010 to draw attention to small and family-owned businesses on the busiest shopping weekend of the year, said Small Business Saturday spokeswoman Nicole Reyhle. Last year, the event generated $16.2 billion dollars in retail sales nationwide, up from $14.3 billion in 2015, she said. Here are a few locally-owned businesses in The Woodlands to get some shopping done on Small Business Saturday: Kendra Scott 9595 Six Pines Drive, Ste. 960, The Woodlands 281-528-1174 www.kendrascott.com Fat Ogre Games & Comics 525 Sawdust Road, Ste. 101, Spring 281-292-8444 www.fatogregames.com Maggies 9595 Six Pines Drive, Ste. 680, The Woodlands 281-419-4464 www.maggies.com Kriser's Natural Pet 1925 Hughes Landing Blvd., The Woodlands 281-419-5992 www.krisers.com Y'alls Texas Store 1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, The Woodlands 281-364-2560 www.yalls.com M. Fatheree Interiors 27582 I-45 N., The Woodlands 281-296-9300 www.mfathereeinteriors.com Businesses that participate in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26 can receive promotional materials from American Express. Businesses do not have to accept American Express credit cards to use the posters, signs and other promotional items. Businesses are also using several social media hashtags for the event, including #shopsmall. Find local business participating in Small Business Saturday on the American Express Small Business Saturday website.