As shoppers hit the stores to fill their holiday wish lists in Champaign County, Busey encourages consumers to shop local on Small Business Saturday, November 29th. In contrast to Black Friday, which drives shoppers to large retailers, Small Business Saturday® encourages people to support businesses that are locally owned and operated.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and are essential to strengthening the local economy,” says Jason Van Antwerp, VP & Portfolio Manager at Busey. “Busey is committed to helping entrepreneurs in Champaign County grow and prosper, and we invite you to do the same by shopping local on Small Business Saturday.”
In total, Illinois has nearly 1.1 million small businesses, or establishments with fewer than 500 employees, and represent more than 98 percent of all employers (Source: Small Business Association). Champaign County has 4,099 small businesses and 1,903 of them have four or less employees (Source: U.S. Census Bureau).
“Shopping locally supports local entrepreneurs and their families while keeping profits in our community. These business owners in turn put that profit right back into our community when they make purchases at other local businesses,” says Erin Lippitz, Champaign Center Partnership Executive Director. “Our citizens can take pride in their communities when they shop or attend events in their local communities. This is crucial to maintaining the current retailers, restaurants and specialty shops as well as recruiting more businesses to join our small business retailers.”
In conjunction with Small Business Saturday, Busey will feature local small businesses on social media. Connect with Busey, November 24-29, on Facebook and Twitter or visit www.busey.com for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate.
For more information on Small Business Saturday, visit any Busey location, call 1.80067BUSEY or visit http://www.busey.com/home/resourcecenter/socialmedia.
