LocalShops1 lends its support to 8th Annual Small Business Saturday® and Shop Small® Movement to drive commerce to small businesses.
ST PETERSBURG – OCTOBER 10, 2017 – LocalShops1 today announced its participation in this year’s Small Business Saturday, taking place on November 25. Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting local small businesses and strengthening and celebrating communities across the country.
LocalShops1, founded in 2008 and with offices in St. Petersburg and Gulfport, is Tampa Bay’s leading advocate for locally owned businesses. In celebration of Small Business Saturday, LocalShops1 invites the community to celebrate local at Shopapalooza Festival, Part 2, with more than 120 local artists, crafters, makers and small businesses. Admission is free and open to the public. Shopapalooza Festival, in its eighth year, kicks off the holiday shopping season. It takes place 10 am to 5 pm the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Nov 18) and then again the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov 25, aka Small Business Saturday). For more information go to ShopapaloozaFestival.com or LocalShops1.com.
Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. In 2016, an estimated 112 million consumers reported shopping at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, according to the 2016 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey.1 The day was also championed by elected officials in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Small Business Saturday celebrates the diversity of small businesses across the U.S. and LocalShops1 recognizes the importance of supporting small businesses, the jobs they help create, and the culture they instill in local communities. According to the U.S. Small Businesses Administration, as of 2014, small businesses nationwide accounted for 63% of net new private-sector jobs created and represented 99.7% of firms with paid employees.2
Merchants and consumers can learn more about Small Business Saturday and how to get involved by visiting ShopSmall.com.
CONTACT:
Ester Venouziou
LocalShops1
727-637-5586
ester@localshops1.com
Melissa J Filipek
American Express
212-640-8658
melissa.j.filipek@aexp.com
ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
November 25th marks the eighth annual Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting the local businesses that can help create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more customers. Learn more on ShopSmall.com, instagram.com/shopsmall, facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday, twitter.com/shopsmall.
1Estimates are based on consumer self-reported data from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey by National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express (November 27, 2016) and do not reflect actual receipts or sales.
2Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy Frequently Asked Questions, March 2014.