WEST MILFORD – Acting Mayor Tim Wagner proclaimed Saturday, Nov. 24, as the first official Small Business Saturday in West Milford.
“The governing body of the Township of West Milford, New Jersey, celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy and community,” Wagner said during the Nov. 7 Township Council meeting.
First launched back in 2010, Small Business Saturday began as a marketing campaign by American Express. It takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and was originally intended to help small businesses that were still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis.
Since its inception, the number of small businesses and shoppers that choose to participate in the shopping holiday has continued to grow. It’s also become something of a social media phenomenon, even getting the support of then President Barack Obama via tweet back in November 2015.
“Advocacy groups as well as public and private organizations across the country have endorsed the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday,” Wagner said before proclaiming the holiday.
There are currently 28.8 million small businesses in the United States, according to the United States Small Business Administration. Small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all businesses with employees, and are responsible for 63 percent of new jobs created during the past 20 years.
“The Township of West Milford, New Jersey, supports our local businesses that create jobs, boost our economy, and preserve our neighborhoods,” Wagner said. “I urge all the residents of our community and communities across the country to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.”
While shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday tend to benefit the big brands most, Small Business Saturday provides an opportunity for small, local businesses to compete, according to the agency.
The Small Business Administration size standards to determine whether or not a business qualifies as small vary by industry, but are generally based on the number of employees or the amount of annual receipts the business has, according to the agency.
To learn more about how you can help support small businesses on Small Business Saturday, you can visit the U.S. Small Business Administration website at www.sba.gov.
See related story on page 22.