While upstate New York has felt the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, the public health crisis confirmed the critical role that small businesses play in our daily lives. Neighborhood restaurants, entertainment venues, mom and pop shops in Main Street, locally-owned service companies and any business where “in person” contact was the norm endured periodic closure and suffered financial hardship. Locally owned small businesses truly are the heart and soul of our cities and towns; they give our communities their personality. It sounds cliche to call them the “lifeblood” of our economy, but small business in both upstate New York and America are big business. Nearly all businesses nationally are considered small. This upcoming Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 27, is our chance to thank these local heroes that struggled to survive over the last 18 months.

Small Business Saturday has catapulted into an American tradition, the Saturday following Thanksgiving. It’s a day to support our local economy. Brick-and-mortar businesses in downtowns from Manlius to Rome and Dickinson to Watkins Glen — and across the country — promote their best deals of the year in hopes of luring shoppers from online purchases. It was not that long ago when we’d visit our locally owned downtown retailers to purchase all their holiday gifts for family and friends.

Shop owners would decorate their stores with ornate lights and ornaments, or create elaborate window displays, to grab the imagination of a passerby to lure them inside their business. The holiday shopping season was a magical time of year, and many of us still hold on to those fond memories today. However, these holiday scenes are becoming scarcer, passing into the realm of nostalgic folklore.

Recent surveys show that over 80% of Americans make regular online purchases throughout the year. Online shopping skyrocketed during the pandemic as more people stayed home to slow the spread of COVID-19. Many locally owned businesses, from retailer to restaurants, struggled to find new ways to compete with mega online shopping sites, delivery apps and large retailers that remained open.

To better compete, small business owners have become very innovative in the way they sell and promote their products and services. Some are bringing back the retail traditions of the past by providing personalized one-on-one assistance to customers, and the selling of locally produced niche items found nowhere else in town.

Small Business Saturday provides a huge boost to the U.S. economy when over 100 million consumers spend more than $20 billion at small shops and local restaurants. With increased consumer confidence in the economy, and a waning pandemic, this year’s Small Business Saturday looks to be even bigger and brighter.

Although online merchants have driven many into closing their doors, small business remains the one stable job creator in most communities across upstate New York. The more than 60,000 small businesses in the SBA Upstate New York District continue to generate two of every three net new jobs and deliver essential goods and services in their rural, suburban and urban communities. They employ more than 650,000 New Yorkers and make our communities a better and economically stronger place to live. As the voice of America’s entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration celebrates this nation’s 32.5 million small businesses that still ignite our local economies and enrich our communities throughout the year.

Moreover, they are the bond that holds our communities together. Small businesses fund the local tax base, finance local non-profits and charitable organizations, and create good paying jobs. By backing our locally owned small businesses, you support the thousands of jobs they create and the families, or neighbors, that they sustain. Small businesses are the backbone of our republic, and the solution to our most challenging economic problems.

On Small Business Saturday, please join me in making at least two purchases from a locally owned small business. These business owners are the true super stars of our community, and they deserve our support, thanks and appreciation.

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Bernard Paprocki is an upstate district director and acting regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration.