The massive chain stores aren't the only ones getting into the business of gift card promotions for the holidays.

Several small chains, local franchise owners and mom-and-pops are offering gift card deals this year. So if you like to keep your shopping dollars more local, one of these deals might be for you:

Big business and small business have different views on whether changes to personal income taxes or corporate taxes should be part of the effort to address the so called “fiscal cliff.”

The issue is that some businesses that declare their business income through their personal income taxes face the possibility of higher tax rates on top tiers of personal income. Meanwhile, big corporations would be unaffected by the higher tax rates since they pay corporate income taxes, not personal.  Those corporations support lowering the corporate tax rate.

Read the entire story here.

David Grant, president of Raleigh SCORE—nonprofit organization that offers free counseling and low-cost education workshops to start ups and small businesses—said starting a small business isn’t rocket science.

However, there are a few steps that prospective small business owners need to execute.

Fiction Kitchen used Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website, to raise $37,423 to equip what the owners say will be Raleigh’s only all-vegetarian restaurant.

Kickstarter, which raises money to finance creative projects, has helped fund more than 30,000 ventures, including more than 65 in Raleigh, and has attracted more than $360 million since its April 2009 launch, according to its website. Raleigh’s largest successful campaign listed on the site, a book titled “CreatureBox: The Monster Volume,” topped out at $175,620.

Learn more a Fiction Kitchen, crowd-funding platforms, and the Jumpstart Our Business Startup Act here.

Rob Autry, founder of Cafe Carolina, is teaming up with celebrities, including Reggie Bush and Rafael Nadal to launch mobile apps for Apple devices.

The first, Reggie Bush Workouts, features an exercise routine with the football player leading the way. It includes instructions from Bush.

Vstrator, Autry's tech company, is expected to release a Nadal app in mid-December. 

Read David Ranii's full story here.

Are you thinking about starting a small business?

Well, before you quit your job—and sacrifice benefits such as health insurance, sick and vacation time—you need to ask yourself whether you are ready for the rapid transformation that comes with taking on such a venture, according to “The Wall Street Journal Complete Small Business Guidebook” by Colleen DeBaise.

Have you checked out your competition?

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s new online learning center includes a tool that helps you analyze your competition.  SizeUp seeks to help you grow your business with opportunities to map your competition, benchmark your business and identify advertising opportunities.

Check it out here.

The Garner Revitalization Association is offering local artists and entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their products during the holiday shopping season. The association is “popping up” the Main Street Market in an empty storefront on Main Street during the town’s holiday events this weekend.

The market will be located at 102 E. Main St.  It will be open on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. during the Light Up Main Tree Lighting Celebration. The market will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4p.m., which coincides with the Garner Christmas Parade that begins at 2 p.m.

Fourteen local vendors will offer handmade and unique products and foods ideal for holiday entertaining and gift giving. Some of these vendors are well-established companies who don’t have a traditional retail presence while others are start-ups evaluating the market before launching or growing their businesses. The market also provides an opportunity for Garner area residents to shop locally during the holidays.

Garner’s downtown district currently has few retail businesses. Plans are underway by the association and the town to increase visibility and accessibility to the area to encourage small business growth and investment.

“There are many talented and creative local business people who are working and selling primarily outside of Garner”, said John Hodges, Executive Director of the Garner Revitalization Association. “We hope the market will give these businesses an opportunity to increase their visibility at home and in turn help us grow our retail base. One of them may even be the next permanent tenant in the store space.”

Main Street Market will include products such as ornaments, pottery, jewelry, gourmet foods, dog treats, Garner merchandise and more. The market will also feature model train displays by the Neuse River Valley Model Railway Club. For more information and a complete vendor listing, visit here.

The holiday season is a time to help others in need. Many area small businesses are partnering with charities in an effort to help the organizations boost donations. Read Virginia Bridges story here.

Shop Talk is compiling a list of small businesses and their partnerships with charitiable organizations. Send your information to shoptalk@newsobserver.com and we'll add it to this blog post. 

Small business owners across the Triangle touted local and national efforts promoting Small Business Saturday and the customers that heeded the shop small message, but reported mixed sales results compared to last year.

“It was great. We had a really great steady flow of new folks coming in all day long,” said Cynthia Deis, owner of Ornamentea, a craft and jewelry making supply store in Raleigh’s Glenwood South. “We were very happy with Small Business Saturday.”

The annual event, tucked between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, was started in 2010 by American Express as a way to help increase traffic in independent shops on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.  American Express offered a $25 credit to registered cardholders who spent that same amount at a small business that carries its cards.