Today is Small Business Saturday and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce encourages everyone to shop local today and everyday.

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. In a world where online shopping is so prevalent, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nathan Sage encourages everyone to shop local first.

“I encourage everyone to come downtown, come to the Highway 14 corridor, come to Knoxville and check out the businesses and what we have to offer for the holiday season. If you don’t find it then go online or somewhere else, but at the same time again check out what we have to offer because I feel you will be pleasantly surprised on what Knoxville has.”

The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce works year round to promote Knoxville businesses. For more information about the Chamber you can visit their website here.