Viewing 1 of 2

During the holiday season, Americans across the country have a unique opportunity to strengthen their local economies, support their communities, and get great services and products by shopping small—shopping at small businesses, that is.  The holidays give us all the chance to reconnect with our neighbors and, whether you’re grabbing a cup of coffee from the shop around the corner or patronizing a local book store, every purchase at a small business makes a difference in your community.

Each year, we encourage independent businesses to leverage Small Business Saturday to help drive more traffic to their businesses – whether it’s through their doors or to their e-commerce site during the holiday shopping season.

Many locally-owned small retailers earn 25 percent or more of their total annual sales during the critical holiday shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The business decisions made during this important period can directly impact cash flow for the following year. 

Since 2011, the U.S. Small Business Administration has been a formal cosponsor of Small Business Saturday, which was founded by American Express the year prior. As the voice for small business in the Federal government, SBA has marshaled support for shopping small on Small Business Saturday by providing counseling services, hosting promotional events, and raising awareness about the activity through its 68 district offices around the country.  If you need help with holiday marketing, contact SBA today at (716) 551-4301.

In addition, to support on main streets, shoppers also turned out for online small businesses in 2018 – among consumers who said they participated on the day, 41% reported that they shopped small online on Small Business Saturday.

On the 10th annual Small Business Saturday, November 30 and throughout the season, shoppers can join in by getting out and shopping small, showing their love for the places in their communities they call their own. Plus, shopping small during the holiday is a great time to discover someplace new!

By shopping small and supporting local business during the this holiday season, we can all help give millions of families the opportunity to achieve the American dream.