Celebrate And Shop Small This Small Business Saturday

A number of days in this next week and a half have names of their own. There is, of course, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, but let’s not lose sight of Small Business Saturday, a day to recognize, celebrate, and shop at the over 34 million independent businesses in communities across the country.

First launched in 2010 by American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and the city’s Roslindale Village Main Street, the event has grown significantly over the past 15 years. American Express estimates that total spending in the U.S. by those who shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday was around $17 billion in 2023 and the total since 2010 is an estimated $201 billion. Joined by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and American Express, supporting small businesses is still as critical as ever.

Small businesses make up 99.9% of all businesses in America and are the backbone of our communities and of our economy. Roughly 62 million people, which is almost half of all working Americans, are employed by small businesses. In addition to creating jobs and providing goods and services, small businesses bring communities together, solve problems, and help establish cultural identity.

These businesses and communities were hit hard by Covid-19, but over the past four years, we have seen unprecedented small business growth in the U.S., with a record 20 million new small business applications. However, small businesses remain vulnerable to the next crisis and face critical challenges, as we saw with Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The funds in the SBA disaster loan program are depleted because of those disasters and businesses in those areas are waiting on funding to be restored by Congress. They also face other challenges like the cost of health care and the tax landscape. Shopping small on Small Business Saturday is one of the best ways to help MLK Boulevards, Cesar Chavez Ways, Chinatowns, Main Streets, and the millions of Americans who benefit from small business growth continue to thrive.

To learn more about how you can support small businesses participating, the SBA has a resource center that you can visit. You can also help spread the word on social media to #ShopSmall on #SmallBizSat. Then again, there are little steps you can take as well. For example, if you have a book that you are planning to buy a loved one this holiday season, visit your local bookstore to purchase it. Regardless of the approach, please consider taking the time to invest in your community and yourself this Saturday.