Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a proclamation Monday to formally declare Nov. 30, 2019, as Small Business Saturday in the state of Alabama. This special designation by the governor is intended to celebrate and support small businesses and the impact they have on communities across the state.
“Small businesses continue to serve as the backbone of Alabama’s economy, as well as a staple to the character and charm that make our state so special to call home,” Governor Ivey said. “I urge Alabamians across the state to shop local on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.”
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Small Business Saturday, which is traditionally held as the holiday shopping season unofficially kicks off the Saturday following Thanksgiving.
“When you support locally owned businesses, you invest in your community with job creation and support for local charities and schools,” NFIB Alabama State Director Rosemary Elebash said. “More money stays in the community – 67 cents of every dollar, according to an American Express study. 96 percent of shoppers surveyed by American Express and NFIB last year said Small Business Saturday makes them want to shop at small businesses the rest of year.”
As of 2018, there were 30.2 million small businesses in the United States, and 65 percent of new net jobs over the past two decades were created by small businesses, according to the United States Small Business Administration. In Alabama, 99.4 percent of businesses are small businesses and employ 48.1 percent of the private workforce.
Many people spend the Friday after Thanksgiving buying gifts at big box retailers. The materialist tradition is called “Black Friday.”
Saturday is also the Iron Bowl. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team plays the Auburn University Tigers football team. Alabama still has hopes of making the college football playoffs. To do so, they must beat Auburn and then hope that LSU defeats the University of Georgia in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta next week.
