Dear Small Business Owner,

The weekend after Thanksgiving so many, as I’m sure you know, choose to spend hundreds of dollars in big-brand stores. The superstore giants reap in millions of dollars in profits without sowing a whole lot of effort. Customers go home with big smiles and even bigger bags of stuff. Everyone wins, right?

Well, I worry that you don’t. It seems that while the crowded masses gnaw away at each other over toaster ovens and TVs, business owners like you, who easily spend weeks, if not months, putting your heart and soul into your merchandise are easily forgotten. It isn’t fair that you don’t receive a larger slice of the pie, especially since your livelihood likely depends on it.

This is why I was so happy to play a small part in this past Small Business Saturday, when I volunteered to help at my Church’s annual craft market. Over 50 small businesses and franchises were represented, and hundreds of customers turned out to support you. Even though a few hours in a suburban gymnasium doesn’t hold much to what the big brands can muster during the holidays, I am glad that we could provide you with that chance.

Gift-giving, of course, plays a big part in this time of year. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get something special for a loved one or even for oneself. But I think people fail to see how mechanical it has all become. The executives at companies like Target or Wal-Mart couldn’t care less what I buy, as long as I buy it from them. With businesses like yours, though, there is a lot of love that goes into the whole process. Your customers feel like they do something meaningful and positive when they provide you with their business, and I know from the array of smiles I saw yesterday that each sale means something to you too. It shows, more than anything else, that what you’re doing makes a difference.

Mother Theresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” You know as well as I that you may never be a millionaire or see your merchandise in the shop window of a major chain. But by choosing to put all you have into something that makes you happy, you’ve already done something extraordinary. I’m sorry that I couldn’t buy more, or do more or say more to express how much I admire you. I truly do think that you have more courage than most, and I feel proud to have made even a little contribution to your continued success. I hope that more and more people like me will see the beauty in buying from businesses like yours and that we can help you to spread more love and joy. That’s what the holiday season is about after all… spreading joy and making dreams come true.

Sincerely,
A Consumer

Click here to learn more about Small Business Saturday and how you can help small businesses in your area to thrive.