TEMPLE, TX — Local business owners are ready for Small Business Saturday, as they hope to create awareness on the impact shopping local can make.
For every one dollar you spend in a local store, 67 cents goes back into the community. Shopping at your name brand and online retailers, you won't be seeing the money you spend benefit your own area.
Susie Winker is the owner to Paperdoodles in Temple, she says they not only rely on the community but much of the community relies on them. She says many people in the community ask to put posters in their windows, donate to a community fundraiser and more.
"If without us, they [the community] wouldn't have anything," Winkler said.
Winkler grew up in Temple and always shopped local, she never realized how much of an impact local retailers were to the community until she owned one herself. Throughout her years of business, her favorite part is the customers.
"Most of them we know by name pretty soon, they've been in after a couple times, as soon as they hit the door we know what they're looking for or what they want," Winkler said.
That statement rings true for local Temple fashion retailer, Amy Thomas, she loves being able to talk to her customers. Weather it's face to face or over the phone her customers will never be sent to a customer service robot.
Although, Thomas is trying to paint a bigger picture. She wants the community to understand that many events that happen within in the downtown area are because of them.
"I also want to ask people, 'when you take your child to the Temple Christmas Parade next Monday night, that is because of your local community that that parade is here," Thomas said.
Both Thomas and WInkler say its not about local businesses competing with each other. In fact, they work together in many ways because they say the biggest struggle is competing with online retailers.
If more people shop local, Thomas can only picture what the future holds.
"That sales tax that we collect stays in your local community, and if everybody would band together and shop locally, could you imagine what all could be accomplished," Thomas said.
The Temple Chamber of Commerce is a big supporter of small businesses year round, Rod Henry the President of the Chamber says he's seeing more and more businesses as their downtown area continues to grow.
"You look at the employment levels, small business makes America work. Small business is the largest economic driver in the nation," Henry said.
American Express created Small Business Saturday to dedicate retailers that many call the backbone of the community. This is the 10th year that Small Business Saturday is being celebrated. Out of the one day of the year for the past 9 years, an estimated 103 billion dollars has been raised.
To search for local businesses in your community, find them on the American Express website.
