Before big box stores or two-day Prime delivery, Mom and Pop stores were the only way to go. Although it may seem as if those days are gone, they’ve simply been re-imagined. Mom and Pop shops are alive and well, and we hope these support small business quotes will encourage you to buy local first.

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Small Businesses are the Heart of America

From the locally owned skating rink where every kid in town celebrates at least one birthday to the tire shop that always supports a youth sports team each season, local businesses are the heart of America. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 90% of American businesses are family-owned or controlled. From starting a new business to overseeing the expansion of a small business, it’s hard work, though, and entrepreneurs don’t have it easy. Without the deeper pocketbooks, larger corporations have, only 50% of small business family establishments with more than two employees make it past the five-year mark.

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What is Considered a Small Business?

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses provide employment for less than 1,500 people. They also make under $38.5 million in annual revenue, depending on their industry. It’s no wonder 99.9% of all businesses in the U.S. are considered “small businesses.” (Source)

In reality, the average number of employees a small business has is only ten. Don’t think of just the retail stores, though. These are locally owned construction crews, lawyers, financial advisors, real estate agents, and restaurants. They are privately owned gyms and self-employed health care providers like dentists and doctors. Choosing to shop local means more than just walking into a retail store.

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How do Small Businesses Benefit Their Communities?

Small businesses put three times the amount of sales back into the communities they live and work in compared to larger franchises. When compared to online business, that number increases to 50%. (Source)

Small businesses often donate to local charities, sports teams, and other causes. The local Mom and Pop shops are the true backbones of local economies in many ways. Without local businesses, a town would just be a neighborhood. 

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Who are the People Behind Small Businesses?

For the most part, the men and women who own independent businesses are your neighbors. By employing local residents, they help support the families who also live in the community. 

While some job positions are for skilled laborers, many small businesses hire for positions that don’t require advanced training or degrees. A solid 25% of all employment in the U.S. is in the customer service industry, and many of those jobs are filled by people who otherwise might not qualify for more competitive work. (Source)

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What happens When You Shop Local?

Simply put, communities need strong support from independent businesses in order to thrive. That’s best achieved when the people who live in communities place a high value on keeping small businesses healthy and supporting their local shop owners.

While it’s great to buy something made locally, that doesn’t mean you should never order online or buy from a big box store. Michael H. Shuman, the author of the book Going Local, puts it like this: “It means nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages and serve primarily local consumers.” 

Local stores employ local people, who spend money shopping locally, which helps create a thriving economy for the whole community. 

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Are Unique, One-of-a-Kind Businesses Better than Big Box Stores?

As of 2018, 75% of the 19,495 incorporated cities, towns, and villages in the U.S. have less than 5,000 residents. (Source) While larger chain stores may offer lower prices, a community with a large proportion of these compared to small, independent stores can lose its sense of community. 

Often, there are at least one or two local establishments in small towns that residents attribute to the “hometown” feel of their community. It might be a restaurant known as a great place to hang out or a retail store that sells clothing featuring the local school mascot.

When there are fewer Mom and Pop stores in a town than there are large businesses, residents may not feel as connected or have a sense of loyalty to their community.

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Some Pros of Buying From Small Business Owners

• Local stores employ local people, who spend money shopping locally, which helps create a thriving economy for the whole community. 
• Small-sized business is responsible for creating two-thirds of all jobs.
• Local businesses provide a large portion of the tax base for cities/counties.

Some Cons of Shopping Locally

• Prices can be higher than larger companies that can buy in bulk.
• Selection may be smaller than larger stores on what’s available online.
• Making an effort to shop locally can be more time-consuming than shopping online.
• New businesses don’t have the venture capital that larger companies have and often struggle with the daily expenses of running a business, which can make for a poor user experience.

When you choose small business products and services, you choose to support your neighbor, which in turn helps make your community a better, stronger place to live. 

Here are several “support small business” quotes that may encourage you to spend your dollars in your own hometown before opting to spend it elsewhere.

Supporting Small Business Quotes by Celebrities

1. “There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.” Mahatma Gandhi

2. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Albert Einstein

3. “It isn’t enough just looking for the quality in the products we buy, we must ensure that there is quality in the lives of the people who make them.” Orsola De Castro

4. “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall

5. “As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy.” Emma Watson

6. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

7.. “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

8. “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone. Know your customer and have a burning desire to succeed.” Dave Thomas.

9. “A business absolutely devoted to service will have one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” Henry Ford.

10. “I buy my produce at the local farmer’s market, which is actually cheaper than shopping at the grocery store.” Anna Getty

11. “Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing.” Paul Ryan.

12. “You don’t build a business, you build people, then people build the business.” Zig Ziglar

13. “I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got.” Walter Cronkite

14. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” Steve Jobs

Quotes from Business Owners Encouraging you to Shop Local

15. “Your business is personal to us.”  

16. “Our customers are people, not numbers.”

17. “Your support is the key to our success.”

18. “We’re in business for you.”

19. “No customer is small to a small business owner.”

Support Small Business Quotes for Customers

20. “When you shop with local small businesses, more of your money stays in your community.”

21. “Keep your taxes where you live. Buy from local businesses instead of large corporations.”

22. “How can you build a stronger community? Help local businesses thrive.”

23. “Local businesses are the lifeblood of any community.”

24. “When you support small business, you are supporting a dream.”

25. “Supporting another person’s success won’t ever damper yours.”

26. “Every small purchase makes a big difference.”

27. “When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance.”

28. “When you’re supporting small businesses you’re not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy his team jersey, a mom put food on the table, a dad pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college.”

29. “Support your friend’s business and progression like you support the celebrities that you actually don’t know.”

30. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy local and that’s kind of the same.” 

31. “Find love in all the local places.”

32. “Support Your Friends. Don’t Ask For Free Stuff, Pay For It. Go To Their Shows, Be The First To Buy Their Products And Promote Their Ideas.”

33. “Giving A Gift From A Small Business Is Giving A Gift Twice.”       

Hopefully, you’re inspired to buy something made locally with these support small business quotes. It’s easy to forget and fall back into a pattern of doing business online or shopping at larger, one-stop-shop kinds of stores. 

If you’re going to shop anywhere, shop local first. Keep your money in the community you live and you’ll benefit yourself and others in more ways that one!

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