This holiday season, consider a new shopping tradition. Beat the crowds and avoid the consumer frenzy on Black Friday by instead supporting the co-ops that make your neighborhood vibrant and unique on November 24, Small Business Saturday!

Launched by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday falls on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving and encourages shoppers nationwide to support small, independent businesses that impact their communities—that includes many of the country’s 65,000 co-op establishments.

Not sure which of your local small businesses are cooperatives? Use this co-op locator toolfrom Cooperatives for a Better World to find co-ops in your area by sector. Find your local food co-op on this list from National Co+op Grocers. Look for worker cooperatives in this directory from the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and find your local credit union with this tool from the National Credit Union Administration.

This week on Everything Co-op, Stacey Sutton discusses her solidarity economy research and Chicago’s community wealth building initiatives

North Carolina’s cooperative ecosystem is building inclusive, equitable and resilient communities

In 2011, the U.S. Senate officially recognized Small Business Saturday, and last year, 108 million shoppers supported their small neighborhood businesses to the tune of $12.9 million, continuing to embrace the day as a holiday shopping tradition.