Why shopping local is so important this Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is meant to highlight local and small businesses during the holiday shopping season.

Some businesses and shops were offering special sales and deals this past Saturday in honor of the holiday weekend.

Supporters say when you shop small, you not only get something unique, but also you’re supporting people in the local community. The pandemic hit many small businesses hard. We stopped by the Silver Parrot in Stuyvesant Plaza to see how business was holding up and what Small Business Saturday means to them.

“It’s taking care of the people in your hometown, said Clinton Hegeman, owner of the Silver Parrot. “It was funny, before Amazon it never seemed horribly important, but now we’re up against it all and to have people wander in and take advantage of what we have it important to us…it makes me really appreciate our neighborhood which is fantastic."

The Silver Parrot is just one of many small shops you can find in our local neighborhoods. We reached out to the Capital Region Chamber to see just how local business sales faired this year. President and CEO Mark Eagan says while they don’t have any official numbers yet, they have heard that this year was stronger than last.

"To us, shopping small isn’t about that one day, but rather a mindset to make a special effort not simply throughout the holiday season, but throughout the year to make purchases in-store and online from local, independent stores that are on our main streets and in our neighborhoods," says Eagan.

The Small Business Administration says there are more than 32 million small businesses across the country.