This upcoming Saturday, Nov. 26 is dubbed Small Business Saturday by financial service company American Express, and this calls for reason to celebrate! Why? Because, according to an article written by Tracey Porpora on www.silive.com, it is highly helpful to “stress the importance of patronizing locally owned small businesses.” Supporting and commemorating these local shops is, essentially, what Small Business Saturday is really all about.

However, there still remains important questions to be asked, and these questions are listed as follows: Why is it important to celebrate small businesses? And, additionally, without small businesses, would our lives be any different? Do these smaller stores have any impact on society at all? The answers to these inquiries, and the reasoning behind them, are stated below…

The celebration of small businesses is important because it helps these little places to feel supported and to grow. The idea behind it, according to William White of www.investorplace.com, “is that customers can support local businesses by shopping at them. This makes it the opposite of Black Friday, which focuses on large retailers.” Without the support of local citizens, small businesses have a lesser chance of (not just surviving, but frankly,) thriving.

Furthermore, what would our lives be like without small businesses? Would life be any different, or would it be the same? If you take a look at Bethel Park alone, it’s clear to see that small businesses are everywhere. From ice cream parlors and pet stores to hardware shops and bakeries, there is evidence all around us to prove that the township of Bethel Park is filled to the brim, if you will, with small, hardworking businesses deserving to be celebrated this Small Business Saturday. Without these places, life wouldn’t be the same here in Bethel Park or anywhere, really. Having these small shops all around us is as good a reason as any to celebrate. After all, even little places need a big day!

Moreover, according to Nicole Leinbach-Revhle, a writer for www.forbes.com, “The Small Business Administration identified that there are more than 28.2 million businesses operating in the United States as of March 2014, with about 63% of new jobs being created from small businesses between 1993 and mid 2013.” Maybe small businesses aren’t so small, after all.

Leinbach-Revhle also writes, in her article on small shops, that,”Customer service is more personalized, hands-on and noteworthy from smaller businesses.” Granted, this statement doesn’t always hold true, but, according to the writer, customer service at small businesses seems to be a bit more personalized than at bigger stores.

Either way, though, supporting small, local stores can always help a community out…so remember(on Nov.26) to #shopsmall!