Locally owned businesses are getting a bigger part of the holiday shopping action: The Federal Small Business Administration says billions of dollars are now spent each year on “main street,” thanks in part to the event “Small Business Saturday.”
The SBA began promoting Small Business Saturday five years ago. Maria Contreras-Sweet, who heads the administration, said the idea is to work with local merchants to get people out of the malls and off the computer. This year the agency is also teaming up with the National Restaurant Association.
“Now more and more people want the local craft beer, more and more are asking for local markets — farmers’ markets where they can get local grocery stores,” said Contreras-Sweet. “But we know already it’s triggered an additional $5.7 billion at merchants around the country.”
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American Express is a sponsor of Small Business Saturday. Over the years, Contreras-Sweet says the company has tracked an uptick in consumer interest.
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