Small Business Saturday gives boost to locally owned stores

Shoppers walking around downtown Saturday will notice signs promoting something called Small Business Saturday, and the deals that go along with it.

In 2010, American Express launched Small Business Saturday as a way to encourage shoppers to shop locally the day after Black Friday.

“Small business represents 99.7 percent of all U.S. employers and they provide jobs for 58 million Americans,” said Brad Jones, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, or NFIB. “For many local retail businesses, the holiday shopping season is a make-or-break time, and Americans who want to support their communities and the economy should remember to shop small.”

Last year, more than 95 million people took advantage of Small Business Saturday and spent more than $16 billion.

Locally-owned restaurants are also part of Small Business Saturday as well.

Most of the stores in downtown Columbia can be classified as small, locally owned businesses. Many employees said they’ve had a busier day Saturday than they have in a long time. Some even said they were busier than on Black Friday.

Lisa Klenke, part owner of Calhoun’s, said Saturday’s event has gotten to be a bigger and bigger every year.

“More people are more conscientious about shopping local and keeping us here,” she said. “If you don’t come out and shop with us, we won’t be here.”

Sales tax revenue is down in Columbia. City leaders have said it’s the lowest its ever been due to Internet sales beating out local stores. Macy’s closed its doors this year due to the increase in online sales and the drop in in-store purchases.

Matt McCormick, president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, said shopping locally provides a sales tax boost and reminded people how important sales tax revenue is for the community.

“That sales tax stays here within our community,” he said. “It helps with our roads, our police, our fire and our school district.”

In a survey conducted by the NFIB, more than 62 percent of people who knew about Small Business Saturday and planned to shop locally said the main reason they did so was because they value the contributions small businesses make to their community.

You can find a list of discounts at the stores in Columbia for Small Business Saturday here.