PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- It's Small Business Saturday today and the perfect time to shop local and discover hidden treasures in your city.

If you have some holiday gifts to cross off your list, Saturday is a good day to show love to local small shops. People are encouraged to promote shopping locally, rather than at major department stores or online retailers.

In Pasadena, the city kicked off its holiday shopping campaign "Shop Local Pasadena." About 16,000 shops and 700 restaurants are participating in the campaign. Free transit rides through all the different shops were available to shoppers.

Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 as a way to support communities after the recession.

In 2023 consumers reported a whopping $17 billion spent at tiny shops.