• Wall Street Journal, Monday, November 29, 2010 11:15 AM

Ann Lathrop of the Toy Chest, a store in Ridgefield, Conn., says the Black Friday weekend isn't usually bustling for smaller shops, as the rush typically comes during the two weeks leading up to Christmas.

But Lathrop, who has experienced a sales slump the past two years, says her store was quite busy Friday, Saturday and Sunday. She attributes part of the boost to American Express's first "Small Business Saturday" promotion, which encouraged holiday shoppers to visit and purchase from local stores.

Some business owners in other parts of the country also saw a slight uptick.

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