Boston Â- State Representative Shaunna OÂ’Connell (3rd Bristol) today presented Bill Vernon, State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business, the stateÂ’s largest small business advocacy group, with a copy of an official resolution declaring the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving «Small Business Weekend» as a way to steer holiday shoppers to local merchants.
«WeÂ’re delighted by the HouseÂ’s action because it emphasizes the importance of small businesses to the stateÂ’s economy and to our local communities,» said Bill Vernon, State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Rep. OÂ’Connell (3rd Bristol), who sponsored the resolution, reminds residents that the Commonwealth depends heavily on small businesses to provide jobs and support countless community and civic activities that are important beyond their economic impact.
«Nowhere is the value of small business higher than in the counties and towns and boroughs, where every civic organization, every charity, every religious organization and every recreational activity for children is proudly and unreservedly sponsored by the men and women in local business,» reads one passage of the resolution.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season when many local merchants generate upwards of half their annual revenue.
«ItÂ’s a make-or-break season for small businesses,» said Vernon. «Rep. OÂ’Connell and her colleagues are trying to make sure with this resolution that neighborhood merchants arenÂ’t obscured in the blizzard of holiday advertising by their corporate competitors.»
For more information about NFIB, please visit www.nfib.com/massachusetts.
