Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 27. In San Diego, many communities have bustling shopping epicenters, so we’re going to focus on three, in uptown, where shopping small makes a big difference.

🌇 North Park
North Park celebrates its small shopping scene year-round, but on Small Business Saturday, it’s an absolute event. This year, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 30 select shops + 19 restaurants will support the big day while live music + art fills the streets.

A hoppin’ hub for all things local — from craft beer to restaurants — North Park is also home to plenty of small shopping. A stroll along 30th Street or University Avenue yields gift shops galore.

We can’t stay away from Pigment (take away our credit cards, please) and its plants and housewares, Home + Hound and its modern goodies, and Verbatim Books.

Shopping small is a big deal in North Park — all year long. | Photo via North Park Main Street Association

🌇 South Park

This tree-lined community southeast of Balboa Park is all about keeping it local. In South Park, 30th, Fern + Grape streets are home to boutique shopping + quaint cafés.

Pick up a floral arrangement for someone special at Native Poppy or a thoughtful gift at Gold Leaf. Get lost in rows of records at Vinyl Junkies Record Shack or try to narrow down your next outfit with a fashionable find from Bad Madge & Company.

🌇 Hillcrest

Fifth + University avenues are lined with tiny shops — like Luigi Vera, where vintage is king, and Candy Depot, where your whole day can get a tad sweeter.

Flashbacks? Don’t get us started on the thrifty, retro finds here. Hillcrest’s small shopping scene is also brimming with bookshops, record stores, and salons — so, self-care, anyone?