Small Business Saturday is scheduled to be the biggest it’s ever been. On November 24, downtown’s Storke Placita (700 State St.) will be transformed into a small business marketing utopia to celebrate and support Santa Barbara retail. Restaurants, stores, galleries, and more will be arranged in tented tables representing their own downtown block, distributing coupons, mini-menus, and special discounts.
The Placita will also be bombarded with games like Downtown Trivia, DSBingo, and Spin the Wheel — all donated by small business owners — to create a shopping experience. If this weren’t enough, Holiday Horns will perform at the patio before Marshalls at 2 p.m., and shoppers can get holiday gifts wrapped at the free gift-wrapping station there.
A special treat awaits at 11 a.m., when State Street restaurants will open their doors and step outside with samples of their foods for hungry shoppers to get a taste of the treats they’ve yet to try.
“This holiday more than ever, we’re inviting Santa Barbara residents downtown to support all our great local businesses, win a prize or two, enjoy some music and some tastings,” says Kate Schwab, spokesperson for Downtown Santa Barbara. “It’s a fabulous way to kick off the 2018 Holiday shopping season!”