Small Business Saturday may look different this year, but Sue Babin is hopeful for a successful event.

Babin, the Director of Special Projects at the RI Developmental Disabilities Council, is passionate about supporting and uplifting Rhode Island small businesses. Her role on the council is to help veterans and folks with disabilities establish their own businesses and become entrepreneurs.

In the past, Small Business Saturday was held at the Crowne Plaza where hundreds of vendors and thousands of attendees would gather for the day. In 2019, the event hit its highest attendance with 142 vendors and about 3,500 shoppers.

“We were on track to have our fourth year at the Crowne, and we were almost sold out of vendor space,” recalls Babin in an interview. “But then COVID hit. We crossed our fingers and hoped that things were different in the fall. And when we realized that things weren’t changing, we came up with the idea of a virtual event.”

This year the event, which is free to attend, is taking place virtually on sbsshopri.com and the Shop RI Facebook page. What was previously just a one-day event; Small Business Saturday begins on Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. and extends through the full month of December.

“Businesses in RI have struggled financially because of COVID, small businesses and big businesses. Some of these small businesses are too small and can’t apply for the state grants. I think people have learned more about online shopping, and all this different online stuff that we didn’t know 7 months ago,” said Babin.

To help vendors with their online presence, Babin and her team have offered free classes to business owners. Babin explained that the classes teach owners how to boost their websites and Facebook pages, as well as providing tips and tricks to sell virtually.

“It’s not about the money for us,” she says of herself and her colleagues, “it’s about showcasing cool businesses and awesome gifts. We want the public to walk into the event and not see someone with a disability, but instead see a business. You don’t see color, you don’t see ability, and you don’t see ethnicity.”

Babin says to expect new and exciting ways to interact with vendors from home, including raffles throughout the day, gift certificate giveaways, prerecorded interviews with business owners, and much more.

Vendors can still register to sell at the event. The deadline is Nov. 20 and it costs $55. Visit sbsshopri.com to register and to view the complete list of vendors attending this year’s event.