For fans of 1998’s “You’ve Got Mail” and anyone who has owned a brick-and-mortar small business, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than watching Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) shutting off all the lights, and locking the doors to her independent children’s bookshop, the Shop Around the Corner, for the final time.
Throughout the movie, Kelly fights against–and ultimately fails–to keep her bookstore from closing, when Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) opens a large corporate chain bookstore around the corner.
This exact struggle reflects the constant real-world pressure independent stores face. The movie highlights an overarching tension between impersonal corporate business models, compared with a personal human connection, something that small businesses more easily offer.
To combat this, American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010, following a nationwide financial crisis and a number of other factors.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, for every dollar spent at a small business, roughly 67 cents stays in the local community, supporting local jobs, services, and reinvestment.
The dollars spent in Citrus Heights stay right here, helping fund everything from youth programs and beautification projects to public safety and emergency services through local tax revenue.
Small Business Saturday–which directly follows Black Friday–offers residents a reminder and an opportunity to honor small businesses of all variety, to demonstrate they are valued, that their risks and investments are noticed, and that we support the people who help keep our city economically strong.
In Citrus Heights, retail is the second-strongest industry behind healthcare and social assistance, according to the city’s Economic Development Work Plan. Local retailers big and small employ thousands of workers in Citrus Heights, making up 21 percent of total employment in the city.
Many small, independently owned shops and restaurants offer more personalized service, unique experiences, and stronger human connection. Like the recently opened DarkHeart Brewery, and Sweet Music Studio Cafe, which both offer regular live music, karaoke and trivia nights amid a small community atmosphere.
There’s also Valencia’s Carniceria Taqueria, a family-owned Mexican restaurant and grocery store combination, which offers a taste of small-town connection to its customers in the heart of the city.
Or the number of other small barber shops and nail salons dotting busy corridors; unique shops like Ben’s Barketplace, Pet Food Express, Inca Threads,–and favorite sit-down cafes residents visit weekly, like Keley’s Crepes and Burgers, The Lodge, Cornerstone restaurant, and Charlie’s Cafe.
Showing up for businesses on Small Business Saturday is “extremely important,” according to Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheri Merrick. Shopping local does more than provide a one-day sales boost; showing up strengthens the local economy during one of the most crucial shopping weekends of the year.
Merrick also says Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to intentionally celebrate entrepreneurs who take risks—like Kevin Matthews who literally launched his own mattress chain—invest in the community, support nonprofits, and “continually show up when our community needs them.”
Our city government has already recognized the importance of supporting our local business community through efforts like the Love Local campaign, and quarterly Business Distinction Awards, and has also worked to remove regulatory barriers, streamline permitting, and increase opportunities for more entrepreneurs, through Economic Development Work Plan initiatives.
The Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce also continually champions businesses by offering multiple resources, and annual awards ceremonies.
In recent years, neighboring cities have issued proclamations supporting Small Business Saturday, including Roseville in 2018, and Elk Grove and Rocklin in 2023. and Sacramento recognized “Small Business Appreciation Week” in April in 2025.
While shopping local on Small Business Saturday (and Black Friday) provides a vital economic boost to businesses in the city, Merrick said the impact of shopping local should be remembered all year long.
“Every purchase makes an impact. Small Business Saturday gives us the opportunity to remind people that where they spend their dollars matters not just to the businesses but to the community as a whole because those dollars are what fund our City Services,” Merrick says.
Each business in our city deserves the chance to thrive, and it takes intentional support from both residents, local organizations, and city officials, to make that happen, especially in times of uncertainty and growth.
The success of small businesses is tied to its surrounding community. When residents choose to spend locally, businesses have an opportunity to grow, residents have an opportunity to connect, employees have opportunities to work, and the city benefits from an active and diverse commercial landscape.
Like Kathleen Kelly’s bookstore in “You’ve Got Mail,” the independent businesses that make a community distinctive can’t be taken for granted. They depend on people walking through their doors, choosing to return, and reminding them that their place in the community matters.
This year, Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 28, 2026. Let’s all do our part to make an effort to drop by one of the local small businesses in Citrus Heights that day to show our support. A proclamation from the City Council recognizing Small Business Saturday this year couldn’t hurt either.
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