While stores like Walmart and Belk expect huge turnouts for Black Friday deals, smaller stores are hoping to do the same for Small Business Saturday.

Landon Nichols, tourism and marketing coordinator for the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, said he and executive director Sheryl Smedley spent Tuesday going around to locally owned and operated stores to help them get ready for Saturday.

“Me and Sheryl were actually out delivering some swag today,” Nichols said. “They’ll have some canvas totes for a few of the first guests that come in the door. They’ve got some promotional posters, some pennants, pins and buttons, so a little bit of everything.”

Nichols said Small Business Saturday was an initiative started by American Express in 2010 to promote local stores and encourage people to shop locally.

“It’s just incredibly important for us to celebrate and support our small businesses for a host of reasons,” Nichols said. “It’s all about relationships, and it’s all about the community. It’s so important for us to support our small businesses because they do so much of supporting us out in the community.”

Small businesses are important for small cities, especially a city like Selma that has more locally owned stores than name brand ones.

“They give way more back to the community, and that is both in time and financial resources. In general, the economic return for independent companies versus chains, usually about 48 percent of independent business is recirculated in the community,” he said. “Compared to chain retailers and big box stores, only about 13 percent of that revenue is recirculated.”

Nichols said nationally small businesses are also responsible for creating more jobs and pumping money back into the cities they support.

More than 23 stores in Selma will take part in Small Business Saturday. Store owners like Tonya Boddie, who owns Pringle Petals on Broad Street, are getting ready to host holiday shoppers.

“We’re very excited because we’re looking forward to doing a lot of business with the community and to bring the community out,” she said. “We’re looking forward to doing lots of business during the Christmas season. That’s one of our best seasons that we have seen since we have been here in Selma.”

Despite having to compete with the Iron Bowl, Boddie is hoping to have a big crowd.

“Even though we know the Alabama and Auburn game is going on, I have no fear that Selma will turn out for Small Business Saturday,” she said.

Nichols said many of the stores are offering special deals to customers that come out Saturday, and the Chamber of Commerce is hoping to see big crowds.