Why is it Important to Shop Small Businesses?

Can you name the last small business you supported? Was it sometime in the last week? Month? Year? If you can’t, you aren’t alone. But imagine your street, town or city without any of those places. You’d miss them!

There are many movements afoot to get people to shop small and local. Small Business Saturday and Independent We Stand are just two examples of organizations trying to get the word out. But why is shopping small or local important?

The first reason to shop local is to support your local economy. Taxes from businesses in your area go to support your local schools, libraries, streets, etc. Small businesses pay taxes directly into the same pool of money that you do!

In addition, by supporting a small local business, you are helping the owner of that business. They can keep their business running, and also buy the things their family needs, thereby keeping your money in your community. In addition, many small businesses are more likely to give back to the community in the form of service or charity than a large corporation would be.

Customer service is another big pull towards small businesses. A smaller operation with fewer customers and less overhead is more able to help you meet your needs than a big box store would be. Most small business owners want to keep their customers happy by going above and beyond your expectations!

Small businesses also bring in more small businesses! By increasing diversity in their offerings in a successful way, local businesses signal to others that they too can be successful! More entrepreneurs with more offerings increase the small business marketplace, creating opportunities for everyone. By shopping small, you are contributing not only to the proprietor of the business, but to your community as well.