Small Business Saturday, is a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is Small Business Saturday on Saturday, November 30. The national campaign, now in its 10th year, was created by American Express in 2010 as a way to show support for local small businesses during the holiday season. It also serves to raise awareness about the importance of supporting our country’s small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve local neighborhoods.
"The concept behind Small Business Saturday is what Dedham Square Circle has embodied since the organization was formed back in 2006,” said Amy Haelsen, Executive Director of the Dedham Square Circle.
As the weekend following Thanksgiving is traditionally the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season, Dedham Square retailers are hoping for increased foot traffic and steady sales on Small Business Saturday. "What you’ll find in the Square is unique and authentic, such as work from local artists, handcrafted jewelry, vintage clothing, house décor, and lots of unusual and eclectic items,” said Haelsen. “The personalized attention and service offered to customers by small businesses can’t be matched by chain stores.”
"Small businesses help ensure that local economies stay strong and vibrant," said Haelsen. “Making a decision to patronize the independently owned shops and restaurants in the Square and throughout Dedham really does matter," said Haelsen. “By purchasing holiday gifts, dining, and seeking services from these small businesses, you 're not only supporting the hard-working people who contribute to our local schools and community organizations, but you're also supporting our own local economy,” said Haelsen.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program, of which Dedham Square Circle is a member, 60 cents of every dollar spent at an independently owned business, like the majority of those in the Square, is retained or recirculated in the same community. Just one-third of that, 20 cents of every dollar, remains in a community when it is spent at a chain store. " When money is spent at a local business, a larger percentage of it stays right here in our community," she said. "If you spend it here, you help keep it here."
Dedham Square Circle is a non-profit volunteer driven organization committed to invigorating Dedham Square by increasing its economic prosperity, promoting its rich history, arts and culture, and aesthetically enhancing the Square’s physical environment to benefit the entire community.