Small Business Saturday is back in south bend. Several events are planned throughout the South Bend area to show support for local business.

And it started about seven years ago. American Express started it as a way for small business owners to benefit from the holiday season shoppers.

But this doesn’t just benefit the business owners. We’re talking about a benefit for the city as well.

In 2015, 95 million consumers were shopping on Small Business Saturday. That’s up 8.2% from 2014.

In total, shoppers who know about Small Business Saturday spend around $16 billion on the day.

President Obama and elected officials have even taken Small Business Saturday to their local communities.

More and more consumers and communities are coming together this year to show their support of their favorite South Bend stories. Downtown will have a variety of events starting at noon with live music, deals and promotions.