Ellington

You know about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when people line up outside the big department stores and discount stores to buy deeply discounted Christmas presents. Black Friday is a big day for retailers, but I don't think it's nearly as important as Small Business Saturday.

That's because small business is the foundation of our economy.

Small Business Saturday is about Main Street, not Wall Street. It's about the entrepreneurs and families who have put everything into stores that offer what the chains and e-commerce companies don't--something different, something special, from handcrafted gifts to genuinely friendly service.

It's also about supporting the local economy. Big corporations based someplace else own the chain stores, but people who live in the community usually own small businesses. When you shop at a small business, you're supporting your hometown, your neighborhood and your neighbors.

The mainstream media tend to focus on familiar Fortune 500 brands, but small businesses represent 99 percent of U.S. employers, and they employ about half of the nation's private-sector work force, according to figures from the federal government.

We can't have a strong economy unless small businesses are doing well--and right now they're not doing well. They're hurting.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business' latest Small-Business Optimism Index, the outlook among small-business owners is still wary. The survey found that weak sales are the No. 1 issue facing small-business owners. Small Business Saturday is a good opportunity for people to support the establishments that mean so much to America's economic wellbeing.

The inaugural Small Business Saturday Insights Survey, released Nov. 8 by NFIB and American Express, found that nearly half of all independent merchants plan to incorporate Small Business Saturday into their holiday marketing plans; 67 percent plan to offer special discounts Nov. 24.

Small businesses generally offer better service than you'll find at the chain stores. Small-business owners and their employees know their merchandise and understand their customers. When you shop at a small business, there's a good chance you'll be dealing directly with the owner or someone else who also not only knows something about the products or services offered, but will be there after the holidays to continue personally serving you.

Small-business owners and their employees will do everything they can to keep you satisfied because their livelihoods depend on you coming back.

Then there's the traffic. Shopping-mall parking lots can be ugly this time of year, but small businesses are usually in neighborhoods with smaller crowds and better parking, and that can go a long way toward making your day merry and bright.

But beyond all this, there's the value that small businesses bring to the community.

Small businesses are usually owned by people who have a vested interest in the community, in its schools, in the quality of life. It's no accident that small-business owners are among the most generous supporters of civic groups, local charities, youth sports, schools and virtually every other form of community activity.

That's why I urge you to support Small Business Saturday--and to shop at small, independent businesses other days of the year, too.

Ron Aldridge is Mississippi state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. He lives in Jackson and can be reached at [email protected].