Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce encourages everyone in the community to shop local. 

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Saturday is a day that was founded by American Express in 2011 to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. This day has quickly become a vital part of small businesses’ success during the busy holiday season. The US Small Business Administration estimates that last year, Americans spent $17 billion on Small Business Saturday, and there has been $201 billion spent on that day since it first started. Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nathan Sage encourages everyone to shop locally in Knoxville.

“People don’t always realize that the money they spend local, stays local. That’s how we’re able to create parks and pay for different amenities, and do different things in our town when it comes to events and different opportunities for every citizen in Knoxville. The money you spend in Knoxville stays in Knoxville. That was kind of the whole initiative when it comes to Small Business Saturday, is to shop local.”

The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce has put out a series of videos promoting the initiative of shopping local. You can find the videos on their Facebook page here. Hear more from Sage on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.