Small Business Saturday Supports Businesses Amidst Ongoing Pandemic

Small businesses play a critical role in the success of the national economy and our local communities. We need only consider the COVID-19 pandemic to confirm the importance of small businesses in our daily lives. Many of our communities suffered as restaurants, entertainment venues, service companies and retail businesses closed shop and are still struggling to regain business.

Small Business Saturday, which follows our Thanksgiving festivities, and this year will take place on November 27th, has become an American tradition. It provides us a day to shop for the holidays at the businesses in our areas that struggled to survive over the last 18-months.

Online shopping skyrocketed during the pandemic as more people stayed home to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Next day delivery made going out less necessary. Recent surveys show that over 80 percent of Americans make regular online purchases throughout the year. Meanwhile, many locally owned businesses struggle to find new ways to compete with online shopping sites and big box retailers.

For Courtney Barton, owner of the Courtney Barton home goods store in Houston, the pandemic meant focusing on backend operations, shifting to contactless home delivery, and ultimately emerging stronger. “Consider venturing into local stores as you shop for the holidays—employees and shopkeepers have spent months sourcing products, have arranged their wares with intention, and truly love connecting with customers. Beyond the ease and convenience of leaving with a wrapped present in hand, there’s something magical about shopping in person at a store you love—it’s an experience as special as the loved ones you’re shopping for, as delightful as the gifts you’re sure to find,” said Courtney Barton.

Small businesses persist, and they remain the stable, local job creators in most of our communities. Nationally, small businesses continue to generate two of every three net new jobs. As the voice of America’s entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration celebrates this nation’s 36 million small businesses that still ignite our local economies and enrich our lives. In the Houston District alone, there are over 750,000 small businesses fueling the local economy! These businesses fund our local tax bases, finance local nonprofit and charitable organizations, and create jobs. In both urban and rural areas, they boost the overall marketplace.

Small Business Saturday boosts our local economy and the U.S. economy. On average in recent years, more than 100 million consumers usually spend more than $20 billion at small shops and local restaurants on Small Business Saturday. This year, with increased consumer confidence in the economy and a waning pandemic, Small Business Saturday can shine bigger and brighter. So, I am asking you to join me and other small business shoppers to make at least one local purchase from a small business near you on Small Business Saturday. Small business owners are truly the super stars of our communities, and they deserve our support and appreciation.