Mayor Joe Gibbons proclaimed next Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, as Small Business Saturday in Lenoir and encourages all residents to support local businesses this holiday season.
Small Business Saturday, a.k.a. Shop Small Saturday, was started in 2010 to put a spotlight on small business owners and employees. It falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Small Business Saturday has become an important part of how many small businesses launch their busiest shopping season. (Source)
"Small businesses are a vital part of our City and economy, and I'm asking residents to support our small business owners and employees during the holidays and the rest of the year," Mayor Gibbons said. "The people who own and operate small businesses in Lenoir are invested in our city. They want to help Lenoir grow and prosper, and we should help them, too."
Janet Aiken with AikenControls said that she, her husband, and employees often frequent downtown businesses . The Aikens can be seen having lunch or stopping by local shops in Downtown Lenoir on a regular basis. AikenControls is a supplier of high performance industrial controls, vision systems, and automation solutions as well as a certified UL 508A control panel builder. The facility is located at 1028 West Avenue NW in Downtown Lenoir.
"Small businesses provide the backbone for a unique and thriving local economy while also representing and giving back to the community they serve," Aiken said. "When individuals shop local, they help to funnel beneficial resources back into their own community. AikenControls is proud to be a member of the Downtown Lenoir small business family."
In addition to being Shop Small Saturday, Nov. 27 is the kick off of another Lenoir tradition. The Light Up Lenoir Holiday Light Show will also shine brightly on Shop Small Saturday.
The theme this year is Walking In a Winter Wonderland. The light show will start at 5:00 pm, Saturday, Nov. 27. The main show will be on the downtown stage, but the City will also have a big Christmas tree on the square and Christmas lights throughout downtown.
"Come visit some of the small businesses around town on Shop Small Saturday, get a bite to eat, and enjoy the light show," Mayor Gibbons said. "And have a Happy Thanksgiving."
#ShineOnShopSmall
Read the Small Business Saturday proclamation below.
Mayor Joe Gibbons, front left, and Councilman David Stevens, front right, flank more than forty small business owners and employees. Mayor Gibbons proclaimed Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, as Small Business Saturday in Lenoir.
Proclamation Honoring Small Business Saturday
Whereas, the City of Lenoir, North Carolina, celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy and community; and
Whereas, according to the United States Small Business Administration, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States, they represent 99.7% of firms with paid employees, and they are responsible for 65.1% of net new jobs created from 2000 to 2019; and
Whereas, small businesses employ 47.1% of the employees in the private sector in the United States, 88% of U.S. consumers feel a personal commitment to support small businesses in the wake of the pandemic, and 92% of small business owners have pivoted the way they do business to stay open during the pandemic; and
Whereas, 97% of Small Business Saturday® shoppers recognize the impact they can make by shopping small, 85% of them also encouraged friends and family to do so, too; and
Whereas, 56% of shoppers reported they shopped online with a small business on Small Business Saturday in 2020; and more than 50% of consumers who reported shopping small endorsed a local business on social media or shopped at a local business because of a social media recommendation; and
Whereas, the City of Lenoir, North Carolina, supports our local businesses that create jobs, boost our local economy, and preserve our communities; and
Whereas, advocacy groups, as well as public and private organizations, across the country have endorsed the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.
Now, Therefore, I, Mayor Joseph L. Gibbons, on behalf of the City of Lenoir City Council, do hereby proclaim, November 27, 2021, as:
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
And urge the residents of our community, and communities across the country, to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.
This the 9th day of November 2021.
Joseph L. Gibbons, Mayor
The Downtown Lenoir Christmas Tree sits in front of City Hall. This tree and six other smaller trees will be lit Saturday, Nov. 27.