Many Austin shoppers are ditching big-box retailers and e-commerce websites for locally owned shops. In fact, Austin ranks first in a new 40-city survey that gauged consumers’ support of small businesses.
The survey, commissioned by small-business lender Nav, found Austin shoppers are quite loyal to local small businesses:
Two-thirds plan to shop at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, which this year falls on November 30. It comes the day after Black Friday, a shopping extravaganza typically associated with major retailers.Local residents spent an average of $627 at Austin-area small businesses last year. That’s the highest dollar total among the 40 cities in the survey.53 percent shop at local small businesses at least once a week. That’s the highest percentage among the 40 cities.Nearly one-third shop only at local small businesses rather than online.
The most popular small-business category for Austin shoppers: coffee shops and bakeries. (Here’s a new combo of the two that just opened in November.)
Of course, small-business shopping in Austin isn’t limited to coffee and baked goods. For example, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild is celebrating this year’s Small Business Saturday through the sale of limited-edition beer glasses at 90 or so small craft breweries and beer retailers across Texas. Savannah Garza, an alum of St. Edward’s University in Austin, designed the glasses.
An accurate count of the number of small-business retailers in the Austin metro area isn’t available. But we do know that Austin is home to roughly 42,000 small businesses. That’s according to Anthony Segura, interim director of Austin Economic Development, which operates a division dedicated to small businesses. The 42,000 figure works out to nearly 170 small businesses per 100,000 residents in the region.
“When Austinites choose to shop local, they’re investing in the people, ideas, and creativity that make our city exceptional and business-friendly,” Segura said in a press release about Small Business Saturday.
Over the years, Austin has appeared at or near the top of various indicators for small-business strength. For instance, a 2024 study by small-business lender OnDeck put the Austin area at No. 4 for small-business growth among large metros from 2020 to 2021 (5.66 percent). Also in 2024, the CoworkingCafe platform released a list of the best U.S. cities for small businesses, with Austin claiming fifth place.
CoworkingCafe says Austin’s highly educated workforce, low unemployment rate and high level of economic activity make it “an ideal place for both startups and small businesses to thrive.”
Elsewhere in Texas, the Nav survey ranked:
San Antonio 22nd overall and 33rd for average spending at small businesses ($413.64).Houston 26th overall and 34th for spending at small businesses ($400.94).Dallas 27th overall and 36th for average spending at small businesses ($394.64).