Beaufort City Council unanimously supported a resolution on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 declaring Saturday, November 26 as “Small Business Saturday” in the city of Beaufort.  LaNelle Fabian, executive director of Main Street Beaufort; Blakely Williams,  President and CEO of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Larry Holman, President of The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, accepted the resolution on behalf of small businesses throughout the city.
Small Business Saturday aims to stimulate economic growth for small merchants locally by following in the tradition of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the busiest shopping days of the year by encouraging citizens to consider shopping with small merchants on Small Business Saturday as a way to boost the local economy and strengthen our local small business community.
The second annual Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
“We encourage our community to support our small businesses especially during this critical time of the year.  A lot of our small businesses make their profit between November and December,” stated Holman.
“With over 120 small businesses in the downtown district, Main Street Beaufort realizes the importance of small businesses in our community. When we spend locally, more money is pumped back in our community for roads, schools, services and new jobs,”  Fabian said.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy.  The average employer in Beaufort County employs nine people meaning  the large majority of our local businesses are small businesses. The chamber encourages the community to support our local businesses on a year-round basis, but this added focus on supporting our small businesses is a great effort,” Williams added.