You might be the type who finds sleeping on a freezing sidewalk for the best Black Friday deals exciting. Or perhaps you've already started working out your mouse-clicking finger for Cyber Monday. But if neither scenario appeals to you, there is an alternative: Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday, conceived by American Express to help spotlight the efforts of local small businesses, comes at the beginning of the big holiday shopping sprint—Today—and encourages shoppers not to bypass Main Street (or Harvard Street) for the Atrium Mall, the Mall at Chestnut Hill.

Brookline Patch would love to hear which small businesses you can't live without in Brookline. Tell us in the comments section of this article which independently owned business is a must for shoppers and why. Your shout-out could help a sector of our economy that has created 65 percent of the net new jobs over the last 17 years.

So when you must get your nails done just right, discover that perfect bottle of wine or have a craving for an amazing sandwich, where do you go time and time again?