Small Business Saturday Is Today!

A reader writes in:  "American Express is advertising Small Business Saturday to support, well, small businesses. They have guides for three cities, Chicago being one of them (NY and SF the other two) Anyway, TWO UPTOWN restaurants are participating.. and no, you do not have to use your AMEX, cash is just fine… thought you might want to give this shout-out to Demera’s and Rikito’s!  Here is the entire PDF for small businesses in Chicago and what they are offering."

• Demera (Lawrence and Broadway):  "Owner Girmai Lemma and his wife, chef Tigist Reda, wow Chicagoans nightly with their delicious and authentic Ethiopian cuisine. New to Ethiopian food? Start with the sambussa sampler and house wine, then order a messob platter for the group— the emphasis on sharing mirrors the traditional communal dining experience and will allow you to taste a little bit of everything.
  OFFER ON 11/26: Free appetizer or alcoholic drink or dessert with the purchase of two entrées."
• Rokito's Mexican Streetside Kitchen (Under the L tracks on Wilson):  "Once the lunch and dinner crowds have filed out of this new Uptown eatery, owners Rocky Barocco Alicea and Steve Esposito get ready for the late-night rush—the order window is open until 1:30 a.m. on weekends, and hungry masses line the block for the after-midnight $1.50 taco special.
  OFFER ON 11/26: Buy two fish tacos, get one free."

This is a good time to remember that Uptown is blessed to have many small, locally-owned businesses, people who have saved their money, put their families to work, and placed their futures in Uptown's hands.  Please be sure to remember to buy from them this shopping season (and all year long, of course!)  Whether it's the baker, the dry cleaner, the Thai restaurant, the African clothing store, the bookseller, the taco joint ... they are part of the fabric of our community.

UU Note: "Unwrap Chicago" urges you to take the pledge to redirect $100 of your holiday spending from chain stores to locally owned businesses. It estimates that if each household in Chicago did this, it would keep $25million in Chicago's economy. Read more about it here.