Whew. It’s Friday; the day after Thanksgiving..

We’ve moved on from the feast of the turkey and the gathering of families and find ourselves on the precipice of the busiest retail season of the year.

As shoppers and consumers, we can often feel overwhelmed with the constant barrage of opportunities: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, sales, sales, sales.

But the one we shouldn’t overlook falls solidly on Saturday – specifically on Small Business Saturday, which is Nov. 25 this year.

Launched by American Express in 2010, the Small Business Saturday campaign, which lasts throughout the holiday shopping season, encourages consumers to support local businesses by “shopping small.” It’s observed in all 50 states, and in 2011, the Senate passed a resolution recognizing Small Business Saturday.

We know how important it is to support our hometown and small businesses throughout the Miss-Lou. These are our friends, family and neighbors who are investing not just their time but their money and their dreams in our community and its future.

And they deserve our support.

National statistics show that consumers spent an estimated $17.9 billion on Small Business Saturday in 2022, and the promotional effort encouraged consumers to spend more time and money with local restaurants, stores and service providers.

We have long championed the benefits of shopping local throughout the year. The money spent in local small businesses turns right around into our economy through payroll, taxes and donations of business owners. Money spent with our Vicksburg and Warren County small businesses supports our schools, our infrastructure, our tourism efforts and our community’s growth.

More importantly, it supports the men and women who are behind those small businesses. And that’s invaluable.

As consumers, we have a choice in how we choose to spend our dollars each year. So we hope you’ll skip the urge to go all-out for Black Friday or Cyber Monday this year. Instead, make a point of visiting the small businesses right here in Vicksburg and Warren County and shopping local.