Shoppers support favorite artists at Laguna Beach’s Sawdust Art Festival for Small Business Saturday

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) — Hundreds of shoppers opted to buy local to celebrate Small Business Saturday, a day that encourages people to help independent and locally owned businesses gain a share of the holiday shopping rush.

A popular place for small businesses is the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach, which helps promote art created by local artists.

Muffin Spencer-Devlin owns Muffin’s World of Glass and said shopping local goes a long way.

“We get clients who come back every year, people then become your friends, you go out to dinner with them, you have a drink at the end of the day with them and then it all sort of feels like family,” she said. “Small business, to me, feels a lot like family. I have pictures of my family in my booth and I share those stories all the time.”

The Sawdust Art Festival features a variety of different art mediums including ceramics, glass, woodwork and photography.

To find a small business near you, visit American Express’ Shop Small website.