The Importance of Shopping Local This Holiday Season
story provided by The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Florence Downtown Development joins the Coalition for the Ninth Annual Small Business Saturday® to help drive commerce to small businesses.
Today we are announcing that we have joined the Small Business Saturday Coalition and that it will, together with American Express, support this year’s Small Business Saturday celebration, which takes place on November 24 and will run throughout the holiday season.
Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting the independent businesses that make our communities unique and provide invaluable contributions to our economy.
The Chamber along with Downtown Development will be contacting local businesses in Florence and the surrounding community to celebrate Small Business Saturday. Various banners, bags, and other items will be passed out to the local businesses to display the Small Business Saturday event.
Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. In 2017, an estimated 108 million consumers reported shopping or dining at local, independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday, according to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey. The most reported reason for consumers aware of the day to shop and dine at small, independently-owned businesses on the day was to support their community (64%), according to the 2017 Small Business Saturday 50-State Survey.
Small Business Saturday celebrates the diversity of small businesses across the U.S. and both The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and Florence Downtown Development recognize the importance of supporting small businesses, the jobs they help create, and the culture they foster in local communities. According to the U.S. Small Businesses Administration, small businesses accounted for 61.8% of net new jobs from the first quarter of 1993 until the third quarter of 2016 and represented 99.7% of firms with paid employees.
What is Shop Small?
Shop Small is a movement — fueled by individual shoppers, business owners, and organizers who encourage shopping small all year long because they know it matters. Shopping small is more than just the act of shopping at small businesses. It’s a feeling — of walking into that corner coffee shop where they always know your order or of settling in at that tiny theater your dad used to take you to. And it’s a cause — one that supports local economies and promotes vibrant, diverse communities.
As you set out to find the perfect gift for your loved ones this holiday season, consider shopping small. Because “When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance!”