VIDEO: Small Business Saturday

COLUMBUS, Miss.(WCBI) – While shoppers hit the malls and big box retailers for Black Friday, small businesses throughout the area were gearing up for their big day.

All over the country the streets of downtown were bustling.

“We have a great sale. That’s what everybody wants is a sale. We’re got 30 percent off pretty much the entire store; jewelry, clothes ,shoes, bags,”said Fashion Barn Owner Homer Beaty.

Local businesses opened up shop during normal operation hours so residents could take advantage of all the deals.

Columbus resident Pam Brock says she loves a good deal but the loves supporting the community more.

” It’s very important that we support the community they are the people who live here they keep the money and the taxes coming in to Columbus and I think it’s important that we spend that money here,”said Columbus Resident Pam Brock.

Small business saturday began in 2010 as a counterpart to black friday and cyber monday.

Fashion Barn owner Homer Beaty says as communities all over are growing, small businesses are putting themselves on the map.

” If it weren’t for small businesses I don’t know what the country would be. There are a lot of the major stores that are closing up . I believe eventually when we go to Vargas to buy clothes, use to they wouldn’t pay us any mind to small businesses but now they pay more attention because so many of the big people it’s just getting harder to operate,”said Beaty.

Beaty has participated in Small business Saturday for 25 years now. He says over all the small businesses play a vital role in any area.

” It keeps people in town. Even though people like to buy online most people like to come into a small business because they like to touch it they like to feel it they like to see it and then they are dealing with some body without somebody on the telephone or somebody on the internet,” said Beaty.

According to the Small business administration, there are 257 thousand small business in the state.