By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – While the malls and big box stores will be flooded in the coming hours and days as holiday shoppers try to grab the best bargains, the mom-and-pop store owner down the street doesn’t want you to forget about them.

That’s the concept behind Small Business Saturday, a national campaign that the McLean County Chamber of Commerce is trying to push.

“It’s to help support our neighbors, our local business owners here in town to help provide jobs for people here instead of the large companies that get all the attention on Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” the chamber’s Marketing and Public Relations Manager Jonathan Strupek said

Strupek added buying local fits in with the chamber’s ‘Make Your Money Mean More’ campaign which helps the community by generating the tax dollars that support local schools, roads, police and fire, what he calls a ‘protective bubble’ from the economic hardship that’s felt in other communities.

“Money that’s spent here stays here and that is incredibly important,” Strupek said.

This year’s campaign is using the social media #shopsmall.

Many local merchants will be offering sales throughout the holiday weekend.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].