Dane Buy Local: Prepares for Small Business Saturday and Shift Your Shopping

 

Contact: Colin Murray
colin@danebuylocal.com
608-729-7342/office
608-712-3440/cell

Guest speakers include: County Executive Joe Parisi, Editor Emeritus of The  Capital Times Dave Zweifel, City of Madison Economic Development Division Director Matthew Mikolajewski, Dane County Credit Union Marketing Manager Eric Eigenfeld,  Verona Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Le Jordan, JnJ Craftworks owner Jerina Vincent, Evansville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Christina Slaback, Greater State Street Business Association Executive Director Tiffany Kenney, Waunakee Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ellen Schaaf, Owner of Wisconsin Candle Co., Deb Riphan, Jenerate Wellness Owner Jen Rudis, Red Barn. Co. Store Owner Vicky Schroeder, and Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paula Severson

MADISON – Dane Buy Local Executive Director, Colin Murray, and County Executive Joe Parisi to highlight some of the 600 Dane Buy Local business members representing a unique variety of area businesses. Press Conference at Dane County Credit Union, 709 Struck St. Lower Level, Madison. Friday, November 16, 2018, 11:30 a.m.

November also marks the launch of Shift Your Shopping, a program that encourages residents and consumers to buy from local independent businesses during the holiday season. Studies show Americans spend a large portion of their annual retail shopping budget November 1 to December 31. According to the National Retail Federation, “expects holiday retail sales in November and December—excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants—to increase between 4.3 and 4.8 percent over 2017 for a total of $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion. The forecast compares with an average annual increase of 3.9 percent over the past five years. Holiday sales in 2017 totaled $687.87 billion, a 5.3 percent increase over the year before.” The forecast includes online and other non-store sales.

“A strong economy should help fuel similar results for local businesses during the holiday. Holiday sales are more than just retail purchases of food, greeting cards, gifts, flowers, restaurants, grocery stores and other locally owned businesses. Whether shopping at a physical location or online, consider shopping at local businesses first,” says Colin Murray, Executive Director of Dane Buy Local.

Small Business Saturday takes place on November 24, 2018. This day is dedicated to supporting the independent businesses that make our communities unique and provide invaluable contributions to our economy. 

In 2017, an estimated 108 million or 43 percent of American adults reported shopping or dining at local, independently owned businesses on Small Business Saturday, according to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey and Business Wire. The most reported reason for consumers aware of the day to shop and dine at small, independently owned businesses on the day was to support their community (64 percent), according to the 2017 Small Business Saturday 50-State Survey.

Small Business Saturday celebrates the diversity of small businesses across the U.S. and in South Central Wisconsin. We recognize the importance of supporting small businesses, the jobs they help create, and the culture they foster in local communities. According to the U.S. Small Businesses Administration, small businesses accounted for 61.8 percent of net new jobs from the first quarter of 1993 until the third quarter of 2016 and represented 99.7 percent of firms with paid employees.