Shop close to home on Small Business Saturday

Area small business owners look on as Mayor Mahoney declares November 28 “Small Business Saturday”.

Last year, 88 million people shopped at independently-owned small businesses on Small Business Saturday, spending $14.3 billion that day – that’s 250 percent more than the $5.7 billion in 2013.

About 60% of people have already begun their holiday shopping less than a week before Thanksgiving.

Dedin said the holiday season can be especially hard on small-business owners, so getting that support meant a lot.

It also served as an opportunity for Chamber President Deborah Randolph to announce a new small business and retail division.

The Downtown Center Association and Hastings Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a free breakfast at 8:30 a.m.at Jacobi’s Carpet One and a free kettle corn and apple cider snack at 1 p.m.at Jacobi’s Carpet One for “Shop Small Saturday”.

Small businesses play an important role in the national and local economy. While most small business owners reported a positive impact from the shift to telecommuting options, including a better attitude in employees (59 percent) and increased productivity (54 percent), a few respondents expressed concerns that telecommuting makes employees unreliable or inaccessible (34 percent), or harder to trust (33 percent). That’s right, our local small business owners.

They also say they have way more invested in the community than, say, a big box store – because they live here, too. “In order to keep small businesses like Nichole’s and other great restaurants around, you need to support small business, small restaurants”. She said she made as much money on that single day as she had made in previous month. “Supporting them is a priority for the Chamber and should be a priority for every New Braunfelser”.

Organizers are encouraging consumers and small businesses to show their support for independent businesses by using the #ShopSmall hashtag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. As people shop the business will then cross off its name from the list.