Evanston residents and visitors are encouraged to participate in national Small Business Saturday on November 28 by shopping at Evanston’s small, local shops in various business districts, including West Village, Central Street, Chicago/Main/Dempster, and Downtown Evanston. Special holiday deals, events and small business videos can be found at shopevanstonfortheholidays.com
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Observed annually on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday is a day when holiday shoppers are encouraged to support the small, independent businesses that help make their communities special.
From noon to 6 p.m., shoppers can enjoy free cookies at participating Evanston businesses. Evanston “Cookie Crawl” locations are available online.
Beginning Small Business Saturday through December 19, shoppers can embark on a special “Liz at the Biz” scavenger hunt throughout Evanston business districts. Look for a figurine of Mayor Tisdahl hidden at these participating shops. Shoppers who complete the hunt will be entered to win a “Made in Evanston” gift basket.
The Evanston Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a free Small Business Saturday trolley from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. that will make stops in Downtown Evanston, Central Street, Chicago/Dempster, and Main/Chicago business districts so that shoppers can conveniently shop throughout Evanston. A trolley schedule is available on the Chamber’s website, business.evchamber.com.
The City will offer free evening and weekend parking in downtown self-park garages starting Thursday, November 26, 2015 through Saturday, January 2, 2016. Free holiday parking will be provided in the Sherman Plaza, Maple Avenue, and Church Street parking garages on weekdays between 5 p.m. and midnight and all day on Saturdays. City Lot #60, located at 1234 Chicago Ave., will provide free 2-hour parking after 5 p.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Parking is always free in Evanston garages and lots on Sundays.