Shoppers looking to support small, local businesses following the rush of Black Friday got the opportunity this weekend.

Small Business Saturday is when small businesses offer deals during the busy holiday shopping season and encourage people to shop locally.

The state of Minnesota says there are 500,000 small businesses across the state, and in Minneapolis’ North Loop, 12 businesses hosted the ‘Shop Small Crawl.’

“Small Business Saturday creating a day that is intentionally focused on the small locally owned businesses is really huge,” said Rachel Cafferty, the owner of Story and Teller.

Cafferty opened the home goods shop online last year and then moved to North Loop about eight months ago.

Her business, along with her next-door neighbor Treats Cereal Bar & Boba and the Hewing Hotel, are just a few to host the Shop Small Crawl.

Visitors got a postcard and if they visited all 12 shops, they got the chance to win a prize valued at over $1,200. Shoppers who turned in their cards will find out if they won a prize next week.

The state of Minnesota says small businesses employ 75% of Minnesotans.

Many businesses are still trying to bounce back from the pandemic and deal with inflation, with so many relying on Small Business Saturday to help boost sales.

“Supporting small local businesses keeps those dollars in your community,” said Cafferty. “And having a dedicated day to really drum up support helps make sure that our doors stay open so we can continue to bring value and connection into our neighborhoods here in the Twin Cities.”