The holiday shopping season is officially underway.
After the rush of Black Friday deals, the spotlight now turns to Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting local shops and businesses.
Dana Keller, Executive Director of the Mexico Missouri Area Chamber of Commerce, told Missourinet that you can’t underestimate the impact small businesses have on Missouri towns.
“They’re the ones that are boosting our economy,” said Keller. And you know, when you spend locally, you’re recirculating that money in your community. And I think that really helps support the things that we need, like our public safety, our infrastructure, those dollars stay local and close to home. And I think that makes a big difference.”
Keller said if those little businesses go away, it will make a huge impact on our quality of life.
“The employers that employ less than five people make up over 70% of all of our businesses in Missouri,” said Keller.
Keller told Missourinet that this is her message to Missourians who might be debating between shopping online or supporting their local businesses.
“Do what you think you need to do, but you are not going to get the kind of support that you’ll get locally, and those dollars are going to go someplace where there’s a lot of people making a lot of money and it’s leaving your community, leaving your state,” said Keller. “Just feel good about supporting locals that have merchants that go in day in and day out and do good things for your community.”
According to American Express, shoppers last year spent an estimated $22 billion at local businesses during Small Business Saturday.
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