Year after year, our community is enriched by the enterprising minds within it. Prince William County is fortunate to have many outstanding small businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders that make the community a great place to live, work and play.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors recently proclaimed Saturday, Nov. 26, as Small Business Saturday to acknowledge the thousands of local small businesses in the county that create jobs, boost the local economy and preserve communities.

Small Business Saturday was founded by American Express in 2010 and has been officially cosponsored by the United States Small Business Administration, or SBA, since 2011. The day has become one of small businesses’ most important holiday shopping days. According to the SBA, spending at small businesses reached an estimated $23.3 billion nationally in 2021.

Nationally, small businesses represent 99.7% of firms with paid employees. Small businesses have created 62% of net jobs since 1995, and small businesses employ 48% of workers in the private sector, SBA notes.

Advocacy groups, public institutions and private organizations across the country now recognize the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.

Small businesses loom large in the community, promote personalized atmospheres, foster relationships with customers and friends, and lend support to their neighborhoods and communities. 

With this proclamation, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors hopes to encourage residents to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.