Shopping small in Southeast Michigan

This holiday weekend, make your plans for Small Business Saturday® on November 24, 2018. It’s easy to remember because it’s always the Saturday after Thanksgiving. American Express launched this initiative in 2010 to encourage people to shop locally. Today, Small Business Saturday is celebrated in all 50 states. Information on how to participate can be found on American Express’s Shop Small website and Facebook page.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) calls this “a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities.” In its 2018 Small Business Profile, the SBA indicated that small businesses employed 58.0 million people in 2015, or 47.5% of the private workforce. Partnering for Prosperity – SEMCOG’s regional economic development plan emphasizes the important role that small businesses play in a community’s economy and quality of life.

Here’s a sampling of some of the communities where small businesses will be participating in Small Business Saturday:

• Berkley
• Birmingham
• Dearborn
• Detroit: Avenue of Fashion and Grandmont Rosedale
• Dundee
• Ferndale
• Howell
• Milford
• New Baltimore
• Rochester
• Royal Oak
• Westland

In Oakland County, there’s an additional bonus for customers shopping at qualifying businesses – a chance to win the $5,000 Shop Local Contest.

If your community will be celebrating Small Business Saturday, please tell us about it!