“What is Black Friday anyway?” I overheard my 8-year-old ask my wife.

“Well, honey,” she answered, “Do you know what it means to be in the red, or losing money? Stores can often lose money all year, but based on their sales on this day or weekend, they can be in the black or making money.”

I’ve reflected on this conversation often as I’ve driven around snowy Allen County for the past week.

In my house, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday were not terribly active days. Instead, we were able to watch the snow fall, drink hot chocolate and enjoy some time together.

But what about those small businesses that depend annually on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday to make ends meet during the holidays? How did they fare?

We won’t have numbers for a while yet, but I suspect that in

See Full Page