Just as good things come in small packages, great things come from small businesses. This year, shop local and you can get more than a good bargain. Here are three ways to give and get in Arlington, Falls Church and McLean.
Small Business Saturday PassportAll Posts
Eight small businesses in McLean have partnered on an inaugural shopping “passport” for Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29). With the goal of supporting independent businesses, American Express started the tradition two days after Thanksgiving 2010, and the U.S. Small Business Administration started cosponsoring it the next year.
The passport invites shoppers to visit at least five of the participating businesses to get a stamp. Turn in your completed passport at your last stop and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win one of three grand prize baskets, stocked with goodies and gift certificates from the stores. The drawing will be Dec. 1, but winners don’t have to be present.
Amber Taylor, owner of Fonts Books & Gifts, came up with the idea for the passport, drawing based on a similar program she helped create as an employee at One More Page Books in Arlington.
“I met with Dana [Dorrier], owner of Apricot Lane Boutique, and she was on board” for this one, Taylor says. “The two of us split up the list and just started going out and talking to some local businesses to see who would be interested.”
The six that signed on are:
- Artisan Confections
- Chain Bridge Cellars
- McLean Art Gallery
- McLean Hardware
- Munch and Match
- Tennistopia
“We were able to get businesses from both Chesterbrook and downtown McLean, from well-established businesses like McLean Hardware to, I think maybe the newest kid in McLean is Munch and Match,” Taylor says. “We’re an eclectic group of businesses.”
There’s no purchase required to get a stamp, although “we want people to shop at our stores,” Taylor says. “We’re just planning to get them in the door and hopefully find out about something new that they didn’t know was in their community.”
That goal is more important than ever this year, given the recent economic turmoil. “It’s something that I think all small businesses are worried about,” Taylor says. “We’re just as much part of the community, so all these things affect us as well.”
Small Business Weekend Passport 2025
At One More Page Books (OMPB), the passport program has been going strong since 2019. What started with just the bookstore has grown to include 22 partners this year, including:
- Ayers Variety & Hardware in Westover
- Botanologica in Falls Church
- Covet and Urban Farmhouse in Arlington
- Café Kindred in Falls Church
- Preservation Biscuit Co. in Falls Church
- Yayla Bistro in Arlington
To give people time to really explore each spot, patrons have two days—Nov. 29 and 30—to fill out their passports.
“Our hope is that folks have time to visit a number of the places and enjoy them, not race around to get as many stamps as possible,” says Eileen McGervey, OMPB’s owner.
Stop at any spot, ask for a passport and start collecting stamps—no purchase necessary. Turn in completed passports by Dec. 2 at any participant and be entered to win one of two prize baskets. The drawing will be Dec. 3 at OMPB.
If you go and enjoy it, let the participants know. “I love hearing from stores that customers are buzzing about the passport,” McGervey says. “We have customers who have told us that it’s become a family tradition for them now to see us and then visit others stores on the passport. We also hear when they discover a new store that they love. (I’ve also found stores that have become favorites of mine.) Obviously, we all hope it will be a great sales day, but it’s also about community, doing things together and having fun.”
Communidad’s Plates with Purpose
Another way to support the local community and economy is through Communidad‘s first Plates with Purpose fundraiser. The community-development organization in Falls Church has partnered with 10 restaurants that will give a cut of their revenue on GivingTuesday to the nonprofit to support programming aimed at strengthening literacy skills among elementary-age students after-school youth mentoring and adult leadership development.
GivingTuesday falls on Dec. 2 this year. It’s an annual event that the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City started in 2012 as a way to encourage people to do good after the excesses of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Jennifer Demetrio, co-owner of Café Kindred, and Maralee Gutierrez, Communidad’s founder and executive director, came up with the idea over tea one day.
“Plates with Purpose brings together the best of Falls Church and Arlington: good food, good people, and generosity that strengthens families at Comunidad,” Gutierrez says. “It’s a win-win: a boost for small businesses and a direct investment in the families we walk alongside every day.”
Participating restaurants:
- Harvey’s, which is donating $2 of every Communidad Hot Toddy to the organization
- Ireland’s Four Provinces, which will give $1 of every fish and chips meal sold
- Preservation Biscuit Co., which is donating $1 of every PBC sandwich (chicken strips, hot honey, bacon, Napa cabbage, smoked gouda pimento cheese and dijon mustard) sold
- Westover Taco, which will contribute 20% of selected dishes
We’re betting you’ll be sick of leftovers by then anyway.