Support Your Favorite Small Business Today With a Patch Shout-Out

You might be the type who finds sleeping on a freezing sidewalk for the best Black Friday deals exciting. Or perhaps you've already   started working  out your mouse-clicking finger for Cyber Monday. But if  neither scenario  appeals to you, there is an alternative — Small  Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday, conceived  by American Express to help  spotlight the efforts of local small  businesses, comes at the beginning  of the big holiday shopping sprint — today — and encourages  shoppers not to bypass Main Street for the  mega-mall.

University Place Patch would  love to hear which small businesses you can't  live without in town. Tell  us in the comments which independently  owned business is a must for  shoppers today and why. Your  shout-out could help a sector of  our economy that has  created 65  percent of the net new jobs over the last 17 years.

So when you must get your nails done just right, discover that  perfect bottle of  wine or have a craving for an amazing sandwich, where  do you go time and time again?

Where are you planning to hit up for today's shopping event?