Updated Nov. 26, 10:01 a.m.–
The day after Black Friday’s expected shopping frenzy, small businesses around the country are anticipated to gain an additional financial boost from the sixth annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 — a day designed to encourage consumers to support small, local businesses in their communities.
Locally, Citrus Heights Mayor Sue Frost said she plans to participate in Small Business Saturday this year, praising several small businesses for their contributions to the community.
“A lot of local small businesses have supported us in Citrus heights, and we should be supporting them by frequenting their businesses every day of the year,” said Mayor Frost. Highlighting several recent examples, she said the owner of Bubbie’s Love Bistro on Sunrise Boulevard had donated potato salad for 400 people at a veterans event in October, and she also said the local Farmers Market donated a continental breakfast for 200 people at the Citrus Heights Community Leadership Conference earlier this year.
“They’re there for us in the community, and we need to be there for them,” Frost said.
[Sentinel Food Review: Bubbie’s offers some kosher-style love]
Small Business Saturday began in 2010, quickly receiving official recognition and support by 2011, from President Barack Obama on down to governors, mayors, and senators around the country. By 2012, American Express reported an estimated $5.5 billion was spent at small, independent businesses on Small Business Saturday — with that number nearly tripling last year.
Support continues to grow each year as more shoppers become aware of the Day. The National Federation of Independent Businesses reported 71 percent of consumers were aware of Small Business Saturday in 2013, and also found shoppers stated their number one reason for participating was “small businesses’ community contributions.”
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Although initially launched and heavily promoted by American Express, Small Business Saturday is now sponsored by a wide coalition of organizations and businesses, and the credit card company says its focus is on small businesses rather than AmEx.
“This is frankly the one movement that I will tell you is not limited to American Express,” said the company’s CEO and Chairman Kenneth Chenault in a CBS interview about last year’s Saturday event. “You can use any credit card. You can use cash. You can use checks. All we want you to do is to support small businesses in your community.”
