Bridgeport mayor touts 'Small Business Saturday'

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Mayor Bill Finch is urging Bridgeport residents to support local, small businesses during the holiday shopping season.

Finch on Wednesday signed a proclamation designating Nov. 24 as "Small Business Saturday" in Bridgeport. The day coincides with one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, coming right after Thanksgiving.

The small-business promotion is sandwiched between Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving when many large-store chains advertise deals to attract shoppers to their stores and Cyber Monday when Internet retailers have special offers to entice people to spend online.

The initiative was established in 2010 and is intended to encourage shoppers to patronize independent local businesses.

Finch says small businesses are the backbone of the country and the glue that holds communities together. He says spending holiday shopping dollars on small businesses will boost the local economy.