TAMPA, Fla. — For the first time ever, the City of Tampa launched “Shop Small Tampa,” to support small businesses in the city on Small Business Saturday.

“Shop Small Tampa is just another way the city is working with local small businesses to help not only encourage support from consumers, but to also give them a boost when it comes to marketing and promotions from the city side,” said Janelle McGregor with the City of Tampa.

Shop Small Tampa put together a directory of local businesses participating in the program, and offering special deals on Saturday. 

The Style Lab in Tampa is one of the businesses participating.  They do everything from alterations to making custom suits and the owner said it can be hard for businesses like his to compete with the department stores during the holiday season, so it’s important to get support from the city.

“When you’re a small business, you’re looking for every opportunity you can find to grow the business, to make sure people know about the business, and often times we get lost in the shuffle with the big box stores, the stores that can offer a bigger discount,” said Ricc Rollins.