A popular place for small businesses is the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach, which helps promote art created by local artists.
Muffin Spencer-Devlin owns Muffin's World of Glass and said shopping local goes a long way.
"We get clients who come back every year, people then become your friends, you go out to dinner with them, you have a drink at the end of the day with them and then it all sort of feels like family," she said. "Small business, to me, feels a lot like family. I have pictures of my family in my booth and I share those stories all the time."
The Sawdust Art Festival features a variety of different art mediums including ceramics, glass, woodwork and photography.
To find a small business near you, visit American Express' Shop Small website.