Three special days devoted to particular classes of independent retailers take place this month, in attempts to draw attention away from the online retailers and mass and specialty retail chains that dominate the retail space for the holidays.

Neighborhood Toy Store Day is coming up this weekend, on November 12.  Organized by ASTRA, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, the day consists of in-store events and a marketing umbrella.

ASTRA produces its Best Toys for Kids awards, which include a number of games (see 'Game Winners in Astra Awards'), as recommendations for the holiday season.

The following weekend, on November 19, ComicsPro has organized Local Comic Shop Day (see 'Local Comic Shop Day Moved to Weekend Before Thanksgiving"), when both limited edition and open-to-order exclusive comics will be offered.

And then on November 26, the American Express-sponsored Small Business Saturday takes place, with a marketing umbrella paid for by AmEx and various support elements for retailers.  Last year, 95 million people shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, according to AmEx.

With events on three of the four Saturdays in November, independent geek culture retailers have multiple supported opportunities to position themselves as a place to shop for the holidays.