I have to admit, when I saw the Lin-Manuel Miranda Small Business Saturday advertisement, I got a little choked up. Really, every year I get a little teary-eyed watching the American Express ads; they really know how to pull at my shopkeepers’ heartstrings.Obviously, since I own two stores, I am a little more sentimental about independent retail than most. But in all seriousness, those ads do make me think of Alexandria. When I go in a restaurant, beauty shop, nail salon, gym, yoga studio, dry cleaners, or other stores, it feels like I live in a small town, when in reality I live in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.To me, it is a culmination of two things that can make something like this happen. First, I appreciate all the great small business owners we have. It really is a town where folks work together to help each other out and make our business community stronger. There is no competition among this crew; it is a group effort. We are all friends and many of us have become close friends, like a little retail family. I do stuff all the time with Kelly of Bishop and we have become good friends even though many would look at our businesses and call us competitors. I will admit I freaked out when she first opened then I realized, wait a minute, we need great stores in Old Town and like-minded business owners. We all need each other to survive and flourish and draw attention to our unified shopping destination. I would also be terribly bored without her Stories on Instagram.Then the second and probably most important part is all the great people who shop with us. If it weren’t for our great customers, which are also our friends and neighbors, we would not be here. One of the best examples came just last week. After Katie’s baby girl was born, people she knew only from the floor of the store were sending diapers, flowers, and so much love her way.Folks always ask me, “How do we make sure we don’t become another Georgetown?” You know what they mean by that. It is simple: support your local businesses. And trust me, the folks of Alexandria do. That is why we have more independent retailers than any other business district in the capital region.So, a small group of us got together and decided to celebrate “Small Business Saturday,” Old Town-style. Because we have multiple partners, the rules of the event are a little confusing, so we decided to make a video to help explain it a little better. Basically, on November 24, you stop by all seven stores and collect seven stamps (sort of like the Old Town Boutique District's Shop & Stroll). You'll earn “rewards” at each store that you can redeem through December and are entered in a drawing to win prizes. Big prizes.In addition, each of our stores will be having our own individual promotions. So, watch the video above, print out the Shop Small passport below or pick one up at each participating store, then stop by all of our stores to get your stamp and do a little shopping. There's no purchase necessary to get a stamp, but we would appreciate it! 

Here is what is happening inside each store:

The Shoe Hive & The Hive 20 percent off all day

Bishop Boutique 30 percent off all day

Red Barn Mercantile Bloody Mary tasting, gift with purchase,Catstudio trunk show with free mini pillow when you spend $50 or more in Catstudio

Penny Post Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn tasting, gift with purchase, photo booth

fibre space Get the exclusive Old Town Handmade Society tote with purchase of $50 or more

Bellacara 10 percent off day, $10 coupon with $50 purchase

 In advance, we thank you for stopping in, saying hi, and shopping this Small Business Saturday. We hope you enjoy our great Old Town retail community as much as we do.