Hundreds of Ohio companies are hoping to draw holiday shoppers for Small Business Saturday. The annual event scheduled for November 28 this year offers sales and promotions designed to get Ohioans to visit locally owned merchants and restaurants. Martin Golden with the U-S Small Business Administration in Columbus says those firms comprise nearly 50 percent of the employment in the state. Golden says 45 percent of every dollar spent in a locally owned store is returned to the community, compared with 14 percent at big box retailers.
Many small businesses are offering special sales on Saturday, and while they do not have the resources to advertise as widely as big box retailers, Golden says those sales and promotions are unique.
Golden says more than 2 million Ohioans are employed by a small businesses.