By 1812Blockhouse
Small Business Saturday usually arrives the weekend after Thanksgiving, but Richland County is getting a head start. This year’s celebration lands on Saturday, November 22 giving local shops a chance to meet holiday shoppers before the Black Friday bustle flattens everyone’s energy. It’s a smart move by the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development and one more way the county tries to keep those early dollars close to home.
Why It Matters
Every shop on the list is more than a place to buy something. These are the storefronts where owners know their customers by name, where new entrepreneurs test their dreams, and where holiday shopping still feels personal. Many of these businesses are the ones donating raffle baskets to school fundraisers, sponsoring little league teams, and staying open late for community events.
If we want those places to stick around, days like this help.
How to Join In
The event runs all day across Richland County, with activities centered at participating shops. A few simple steps make you part of it:
• Visit any of the listed stores on November 22 and enter their individual in-store drawings. No purchase is required and you can enter at every location you visit.
• Scan the special QR code posted inside the stores to enter for one of five countywide $100 prizes. Again, one scan per store, giving you up to six extra entries depending on where you go.
That’s it. Wander, shop, scan. Someone’s walking away with extra spending money.
Getting Around For Free
Richland County Transit is making it even easier to participate. Buses will run fare-free from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, which removes one more barrier to popping between neighborhoods. It also makes the whole event feel more connected, like the county is leaning in together rather than each community doing its own thing.
Where You Can Shop
The lineup this year covers every corner of the county. Mansfield has the longest list, from long-running favorites like Crowe’s Shoes and Metronome Music to newcomers like Bloom & Fizz, Olive & Oak Company, and Monarch Surfaces. Kingwood Center Gardens and the Buckeye Imagination Museum bring their own twist to the day, offering more than retail alone.
Ontario shoppers will find a mix of boutiques, specialty shops, food stops, and practical places like McCready Interiors and Vacuum World. Denim N Lace at 1352 W. Fourth St. is the featured stop for this year’s kickoff.
Bellville and Lexington both bring strong clusters of small businesses that already draw regular Saturday traffic. Stoodt’s Fresh Market, Kimmy’s Cucina, Nickel & Bean, and Crafty Clutter help set the tone in their communities.
Butler has The Whiffletree Restaurant holding down the village, and Shelby again shows its growing energy with boutiques, bakeries, The Fan Cave Shop, and Glen’s Surplus for good measure.
It’s a long list because Richland County has more local businesses than people sometimes realize.
The Bigger Picture
Shop Small – Richland County is coordinated in partnership with Downtown Mansfield, Inc., tying the event into the organization’s broader push to strengthen the local business ecosystem. Setting the date a week early is another small, practical adjustment that meets real local needs.
These efforts add up. A strong turnout on November 22 tells business owners they’re not fighting uphill alone.
If you’ve been meaning to pick up a few early gifts, try new shops, or simply walk into places you’ve driven past a hundred times, this is the best day to do it. Bring a friend, take the free transit, wander through different parts of the county, and keep those dollars circulating close to home.
Shop early. Shop local. Shop Small – Richland County.
| Town | Store Name |
|---|
| Bellville | Bellville Nutrition |
| Elements of Home |
| Elzy Milling & Trade |
| Nourish Wellness Bar |
| Smith Hardware/Rustik Market |
| Stoodt’s Fresh Market |
| The Wishmaker House |
| Valley Nails |
| Versa Clothing Company |
| Butler | The Whiffletree Restaurant |
| Lexington | Crafty Clutter |
| Kimmy’s Cucina |
| Nickel & Bean |
| Y-Not Cyclin |
| Mansfield | Allure Studios Hair and Day Spa |
| Alpaca Meadows |
| Alta Florist and Greenhouse |
| Blackwater Market Comics & Coffee |
| Bloom & Fizz |
| Buckeye Imagination Museum |
| City News/Suzy’s Smoke Room |
| Crowe’s Shoes |
| Diamond in the Rough |
| Element of Art Studio/Gallery |
| Fresh Grounds Coffee House |
| Golden Poppy |
| Kingwood Center Gardens |
| Lasercraft Enterprises Art and Glass Studio |
| Mansfield Nutrition |
| Mansfield Vintiques and More |
| Metronome Music Inc. |
| Modern Revive |
| Monarch Surfaces |
| Music Academy of Karate and Empowerment |
| Olive & Oak Company |
| Petit Tresor Boutique |
| Porky’s Drive In |
| Richland Carrousel Park |
| Robsagna Wood-Fired Lasagna, Pizza & More! |
| Roseto Event Venue |
| Studio 19 Salon & Spa |
| The Boot Life LLC |
| The Phoenix Brewing Company |
| The Urban Barn and Tara’s Therapy & Art Studio |
| Two Cousins Pizza |
| Wayne’s Country Market |
| What Goes ’Round Thrift Shoppe |
| Ontario | A Touch of Home |
| Arbor Creek Gardens and Floral |
| Bake My Day |
| Denim N Lace |
| Holly’s Book Rack |
| McCready Interiors/Norwalk – the Furniture Idea |
| Once Upon A Child |
| Ontario Grocery Outlet |
| Reflections Salon & Spa |
| Vacuum World |
| Wellspring Custom Pharmacy & Health Source |
| What’s Smoken’ LLC |
| Shelby | 113 ACE Hardware |
| Beyond Blessed Nails & Boutique |
| Black Fork Brewing |
| Dove Candle Bar |
| Glen’s Surplus Sales Inc |
| Holiday Store |
| Lottie & Lemon Boutique |
| Lucy Bubble Boutique @ The Little Shops of Shelby |
| Marigold Bakery |
| S&S Second Chances Art and Craft Studio |
| The Fan Cave Shop |
| The Whimsy Tulip Boutique |
| TresDen’s Jewelers |
| Whispering Willow Way |
