Shop locally on Small Business Saturday

Saturday, November 28 is Small Business Saturday, which American Express founded in 2010 to help businesses with their most pressing need – getting more customers.

The single day has grown into a powerful movement and Columbia will be participating in a big way.

With internet shopping just a click away and national stores offering all sorts of promotions, it’s easy to forget about local retailers.

That would be a mistake.

Here, three reasons why:

1. Local merchants add character to Columbia. “Small, unique shops draw shoppers,” said Jennifer Suber, who works with the Devine Street Association.

“Supporting them allows them to stay open and continue to add value to our community,” Suber said.

2. The money you spend with a small business is more likely to be used locally to support a Little League Team, local charity or emergency fund. Brittons, for example, will be donating all the proceeds from the sale of Southern Tide t-shirts to Columbia flood relief victims.

3. Local businesses are owned by your neighbors. To help celebrate Small Business Saturday, merchants throughout the community will be offering special sales, giveaways and incentives. The city of Columbia is also on board with “Selfie Saturday,” a month-long promotion that gives participants the chance to win gift certificates redeemable with local shops. To enter, simply tweet a photo of yourself shopping at a local retailer to @ColumbiaOBO using the #SelfieSaturdays hashtag.

“Small businesses strengthen the livelihood of the community,” said Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, the official spokesperson for Small Business Saturday. “Supporting Small Business Saturday by shopping at a unique local retailer thanks them their commitment.”

For more information, here is a sampling of a few shopping districts in the Columbia area: fivepointscolumbia.com; devinestreetcolumbiasc; vistacolumbia.com; northcolumbiabusinessassociation.com.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State