Small Business Saturday 2024 In Bel Air: See Sales, Deals

BEL AIR, MD— Saturday, Nov. 30, is a crucial day for independently owned local businesses across Harford County. It’s Small Business Saturday, the kickoff to “shop small” events that emphasize the power of dollars spent in local communities.

Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is sandwiched between the major Black Friday retail shopping holiday, which tends to favor national brands, and Cyber Monday, an online shopping event that this year takes place on Dec. 2.

Here are a few of the local businesses participating in this year's event:

• Barretts on the Pike, a barbecue restaurant
• Velvet Trunk, a family clothing store
• A Country Setting, a home furnishings store
• Caprichos Books, a book store
• Aroma Candle Studio, a retail store

Since it started in 2010, consumers have reported spending an estimated $163 billion at small businesses across all 12 Small Business Saturdays combined.

There are 668,365 small businesses in Maryland, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 state profiles.

Women made up 48.9 percent of workers and owned 45.5 percent of businesses. Veterans made up 5.5 percent of workers and owned 5.7 percent of businesses. Racial minorities made up 46.5 percent of workers and owned 40.2 percent of businesses.

Local businesses depend on increased sales in the last few months of the year to help them reach their revenue goals, and you’ll find plenty of in-store cheer and holiday happenings that will make the shopping experience fun.

Locally owned businesses recirculate a far greater percentage of revenue locally compared to absentee-owned businesses, according to the American Independent Business Alliance. Independents return about 48 percent of their revenues back into the local economy, compared to 14 percent returned to the local economy by chains.

Small businesses are typically defined by the federal government as those with fewer than 500 employees.

They are responsible for two of every three jobs over the past 25 years. Even a partial collapse of small businesses could weaken the overall U.S. economy, according to the Labor Department.