our blog
Small Business Saturday is Not Just for Retailers Anymore!

It’s Small Business Saturday is this weekend, and it’s a great time to do your holiday shopping with local retailers. Patronizing them supports the community through sales tax dollars that are used for public safety, streets, schools and infrastructure. Also, thriving local businesses provide jobs. It’s a win-win.

Small Business Saturday got me thinking about the town where I live and where BumbleBee headquarters are located, in Pleasanton, California. I’m a member of the City of Pleasanton’s Economic Vitality Committee, where we learn about helping to make our community thrive. We also work with the city to identify ways to promote and maintain a strong economic base.

Pleasanton has 3,700 small businesses that employ more than 33,000 people, and many of these are not retail. We have businesses that provide valuable services and solutions like insurance, consulting, human resources, technology, real estate, printing, graphic design, and more. I’ve found so many benefits to using local businesses, including personalized service and responsiveness. No matter the size of your town, you probably have some of these same types of businesses also.

This weekend—and throughout the year—I encourage you to turn to your local vendors because Small Business Saturday is not just for retailers any more!