Small Business Saturday event, art walk and movie planned Nov. 26

FARMINGTON – Black Friday may not be what it used to be in America’s big box stores and malls thanks to online shopping, but Small Business Saturday is going strong locally 12 years after its founding by a corporate giant.

Local organizers plan a day of special offers for shoppers in many small businesses downtown and across town, as well as a downtown movie for the whole family and an art walk in Farmington’s historic district.

Many local businesses will welcome shoppers during this annual small-business kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

Small Business Saturday and the Holiday Art Walk will take place in Historic Downtown Farmington, although shops in other parts of town are also participating. Those shops will feature special deals from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Art Walk is from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m.

And bring the lawn chairs and blankets, as the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” will screen in the downtown pocket park at 6 p.m.

More:Ride to the Rock annual bike ride scheduled for Friday

“Downtown Farmington: A MainStreet Project and the downtown businesses are encouraging folks to make a big difference in our community and #shopsmall by buying and eating local,” according to the website https://farmingtonnm.org/. “Historic Downtown Farmington has some of the best locally-owned galleries, shops, and restaurants in the city.”

Small Business Saturday was founded by the credit card company American Express during the recession of 2010 to boost holiday shopping in small businesses. The local event is sponsored by The Downtown Association & Farmington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, according to https://farmingtonnm.org/.

Participating businesses across Farmington include:

Amy's Bookcase

Artifacts Gallery

Big Rock Trading Post

Clancy's Irish Cantina

Dusty Attic

Fifth Generation Trading Company

Hogback Trading Post

J.A. Jewelers & Co.

Navajo Trading

Oso Grande Coffee Company

Rod Hubble Fine Art

Studio 116

Three Rivers Eatery and Brewery

Toadlena Trading Post

TRAC Art Center & Gallery

505 Cycles

Animas Valley Mall is closed on Thanksgiving, but reopens to welcome holiday shoppers at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.

Survey says: NM not enchanted by Black Friday

Among the many national surveys chronicling consumer activities in the 50 states, one released on Nov. 18 claims that  “New Mexico ranks as the fifth least interested state in Black Friday,” according to Lara Horwood of Search Intelligence LTD.

Top honors went to the state of Kentucky as the most Black Friday-obsessed state in America, according to the study. The study was done by Boohoo.com, which, of course, is planning its own online event.

“The research, carried out by fashion experts at Boohoo examined Google Trends data of search terms frequently used by people interested in Black Friday,” the release stated. “These terms were then combined to give each American state a 'total Black Friday search score' to discover which states have been the most interested in Black Friday over the past five years. The search terms that have been used to determine the results include: ‘Black Friday', 'Black Friday deals', 'Black Friday online', 'Black Friday clothes' and 'Black Friday online deals'.”