Small businesses around Kennesaw were hoping for a good sales day Sautrday as the holiday buying season started and Small Business Saturday was publicized throughout the nation.

Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express, urged shoppers to spend their holiday dollars at local businesses the day after Black Friday. The day is dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

Diane at Alisha's Hallmark Shop in Kennesaw said they were "pretty busy" on Saturday. So far, she said, the store is "a little bit over" in sales this year as compared with last year.

Barbecue Street Restaurant on Cherokee Street in Kennesaw saw a big week leading up to Thanksgiving Day, with folks ordering turkey, barbecue meats and other items to serve up on the big day of feasting. Friday and Saturday are big for stores, said one of the workers, but they still saw a lot of hungry shoppers stop by for BBQ as well.

Little Dog House of Kennesaw, across from Swift-Cantrell Park, didn't see an increase in business Saturday, said owner Charlotte Archuleta.

"It wasn't any different than a normal Saturday—I think everyone was at the malls," said Archuletta, who added that Black Friday was a good day for her store. "We've only been open 10 months, so we don't have anything to compare it to yet."