Small Business Saturday 2024 In Nashua: See Sales, Deals

NASHUA, NH — Saturday, Nov. 30, is a crucial day for independently owned local businesses in Nashua.

Small Business Saturday is the kickoff to “shop small” events emphasizing the power of dollars spent in local communities. Founded by American Express in 2010, it is sandwiched between the major retail shopping holiday Black Friday, which tends to favor national brands, and Cyber Monday, an online shopping event that this year takes place on Dec. 2.

Businesses in Nashua participating in this year’s event can be found here.

Since it started in 2010, consumers have reported spending an estimated $163 billion at small businesses across all 12 Small Business Saturdays combined.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 state profiles, New Hampshire has more than 140,000 small businesses. Small businesses created around 10,500 new jobs between March 2022 and March 2023, or slightly less than 79 percent of all the jobs created in the state during that time period. While about 6,000 businesses closed in the state, nearly 7,800 opened.

The most small business employment in the state is in the professional, scientific, and technical services, construction, and real estate (rental and leasing) sectors. Other services and retail jobs round out the Top 5.

Local businesses depend on increased sales in the last few months of the year to help them reach their revenue goals, and you’ll find plenty of in-store cheer and holiday happenings that will make the shopping experience fun.

Locally owned businesses recirculate a far greater percentage of revenue locally compared to absentee-owned businesses, according to the American Independent Business Alliance. Independents return about 48 percent of their revenues to the local economy, compared to 14 percent returned to the local economy by chains.

The federal government typically defines small businesses as those with fewer than 500 employees.

They have been responsible for two of every three jobs over the past 25 years. Even a partial collapse of small businesses could weaken the overall U.S. economy, according to the Labor Department.