Park for Free Downtown Saturday to Support Small Businesses

Here's one good reason to support your local businesses in Santa Cruz this Saturday: Parking will be free. 

Patch's “Park on Patch” campaign, in partnership with American Express, has selected Santa Cruz as one of 50 towns across the country to get free parking on Nov. 30 for Small Business Saturday. 

The parking meters will be covered to identify the free parking spaces. Patch will pay for parking from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day. 

The "Park on Patch" initiative is part of an ongoing effort by Patch and American Express to encourage people to shop locally in support of small businesses.

Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is now in its fourth year. The annual event, which is celebrated between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is an awesome way to support the small businesses that help make our neighborhoods great.  

According to the Small Business Saturday Insights Survey, consumers who were aware of Small Business Saturday in 2012 spent $5.5 billion with independently-owned businesses that day.

Celebrate small businesses again this year and shop local on Nov. 30. In addition to free parking, we'll also give out Small Business Saturday merchandise and other fun Patch swag, so stop by our table outside of the O'Neill store at Cooper Street and Pacific Avenue.

 With all these incentives, there's no better reason to shop local this Saturday.