By Kellie LeDet
Small businesses possess the power to propel local economies and uplift communities. When we open our wallets and shop small we”™re supporting small businesses that create two out of three net new jobs and employ more than half of the country”™s private workforce.
As the holiday shopping season kicks off, let”™s recommit in honoring our neighborhood champions, America”™s small businesses. Saturday, Nov. 28, is Small Business Saturday ”” a day to celebrate and support small businesses for all they contribute to our communities.
On this particular Saturday, do your part to support jobs and economic growth in your own backyard. Visit your Main Street merchants to find unique, handmade gifts that you won”™t find at a big-box retailer. Afterwards, dine small at your local restaurant to usher in the new tradition of supporting local eateries too. The restaurant industry employs 14 million Americans and generates $709.2 billion in sales, equal to 4 percent of the gross domestic product.
Shopping small packs a big punch to the U.S. economy. Did you know that last year, there were 88 million consumers “shopping small” on Saturday, and that 77 percent of consumers said Small Business Saturday inspired them to “Shop Small” throughout the year and not just for the holidays? In addition, 66 percent of consumers state the main reason they support small businesses is because of their contributions to the community.
Indeed, Main Street businesses are critical to our nation”™s success and supporting Westchester County-based retail shops and restaurants during Small Business Saturday is an act of economic patriotism. To continue the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses, please join me and the U.S. Small Business Administration in shopping and dining small on Saturday, Nov. 28.
For more information about Small Business Saturday, please visit sba.gov/smallbusinesssaturday.
Kellie LeDet is regional administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration”™s Region II, which encompasses all of New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Â
