As the voice of our nation’s entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) celebrates the 30 million small businesses igniting our economy and enriching our communities throughout the year. We are once again partnering with organizations across the country this holiday shopping season to celebrate Small Business Saturday® (the Saturday after Thanksgiving); a day to honor and support small businesses for all they contribute to our communities. 

Supporting America’s entrepreneurs can be as simple as “Shopping Small” at Main Street merchants, which create two out of three net new jobs in our communities. Your dollars make an impact. Last year, total reported spending among U.S. consumers who said they shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on the day reached a record high of $17.8 billion. Shoppers also turned out for online small businesses in 2018. Among consumers who said they participated on the day, 41 percent reported that they shopped small online on Small Business Saturday. This is positive news for all of us, especially during the holiday season, as Americans boost their local economies.

In so many ways, small businesses are the glue that holds our communities together. In addition to providing jobs and contributing to the local tax base, small businesses donate 250 percent more than larger businesses to local non-profits and community causes. Seventy-five percent of locally owned small businesses donate an average of 6 percent of their profits to charitable organizations annually. As of 2019, 81 percent of small businesses plan on giving back to their community in 2019.

Each small business typically has a list of different organizations and causes it donates to: 66 percent give to local charities, 48% support local youth organizations, 42 percent donate to local first responders… The list goes on. 

Each year, to help bring attention to our locally owned retailers and restaurateurs, SBA visits neighborhoods near you. In Pennsylvania, the Eastern Pennsylvania District Office visited Honesdale, Wayne County Nov. 20 for a Small Business Walk on Main Street, as they shopped and met with local business owners to highlight the impact their presence and your dollars have on making Honesdale a great place to live and shop.

Thank you for shopping small this holiday season. Let us know how you’re supporting your local entrepreneurs on Small Business Saturday by using #ShopSmall on social media as you go about your shopping. For more information, visit  www.sba.gov/saturday.