Editor's note: The long Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to catch up on the week's headlines. Most-read stories include news about Austin shoppers' loyalty to local businesses, a new authentic Italian bakery, and much more. Need weekend plans? Find help in our Weekend Event Planner.

1. Austin’s small business shoppers are the most loyal in the U.S. Many Austin shoppers are ditching big-box retailers and e-commerce websites for locally owned shops. In fact, Austin ranks first in a new 40-city survey that gauged consumers’ support of small businesses. And, just in time for Shop Small Saturday ...

2. Austin general store boosts 13 indie businesses with holiday passport. November 28 is Small Business Saturday, and to celebrate this niche "holiday," the husband-and-wife team at boutique general Parker + Scott are bringing back their "ATX Small Business Passport" for the second year in a row. If you're dining out at a local restaurant on Small Business Saturday, the Texas Restaurant Association has a specific request – pay with cash.

3. The Chicks' Emily Strayer opens Austin-designed laundry cafe in San Antonio. At least one member of The Chicks is ready to make nice with San Antonio. Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Emily Strayer will open SOAP Laundry Lounge, a swanky laundromat and coffee bar that was designed by Austin-based FÖDA.

This bakery deals in authentic Italian pastries. Photo courtesy of Fareground

4. New Italian bakery brings cornetti and daily pizzas to downtown Austin. One sadly silent market in Austin has been Italian bakeries, but Ciccio Bomba (pronounced chee-cho) may be making a dent in that. The new Italian bakery is open now at Fareground, Austin's downtown food hall at 111 Congress Ave.

5. This Austin-area town has the No. 1 hottest U.S. ZIP code this fall. A recent analysis of American relocation trends has revealed the small town of Dale outside Austin was the No. 1 hottest ZIP code for movers nationwide in October 2025. Dale's 78616 ZIP code topped MovingPlace's new list ranking the U.S. cities with the highest number of new movers per 1,000 current residents during the month of October.