Here’s some good news for independent retailers and restaurants in a tough year: American shoppers spent nearly $10 billion at those establishments on 2020’s Small Business Saturday. That’s up from 2019, per American Express data reported by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
That figure also reflected a change in method of sales, with 56% of shoppers buying online, up more than 10% from 2019.
Christmas is just over two weeks away. That’s still plenty of time to finish gift shopping, but cutting it close when it comes to shipping. One way to avoid high overnight shipping charges is to buy local. There are lots of local businesses to choose from for holiday shopping — see our Cyber Monday local guide. But this time, we’re focusing specifically on makers who are members of the NextFab makerspace in Wilmington.
Some use the NextFab studios, including a high-tech wood shop,…