Black-Owned Businesses Embrace Small Business Saturday But Need Much More

The holiday shopping season kicked off with Black Friday and will rush into overdrive with Cyber Monday but wedged in between those shopping behemoths is Small Business Saturday which aims to give local entrepreneurs a chance to pull in some of the money African Americans and other consumers are spending with the industry’s biggest retailers.

“I don’t think Small Business Saturday has really worked its way around to me,” says Dr. Margarette Williams, owner of Ephesus, a Christian Bookstore in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

What Williams is experiencing with Small Business Saturday is happening nationally indicates Ron Busby, President of the U.S. Black Chambers.

“Small Business Saturday is not having the same impact on Black businesses as it has shown for white businesses,” he explains. “Most of our businesses are not brick and mortar businesses. It is more important to shop Black year-round.”

Early reports suggest retailers are headed for a banner shopping season , with an estimated 3.7 billion dollars spent on Black Friday which is a 28 percent increase from 2017.

At Ephesus, shoppers stopped in on Black Friday looking for gifts while others picked up orders for their churches. Williams is excited about the season and the opportunity to reach more customers.

“We try to advance sales and marketing to do what we can to, hopefully, draw people into us. We know they are drawn to big retailers,” says Williams, who is a former University administrator with two doctorate degrees.

According to Busby, most African American businesses usually “do well as we try to spend Black” during the holidays. Yet, he and Williams would also like to see more consistent support for small businesses.

Williams and her husband started their business 34 years ago. Today, Ephesus employees six staff members. Williams, who is also a minister, connects “His grace and our willingness to watch Him and follow” to the bookstore’s success.

For many small businesses, the odds of surviving can be intimidating. Busby travels the country consulting with member Chamber organizations and knows the challenges owners often face.

“There are 2.7 million Black-owned businesses in America,” he points out. Of that group, only 115,000 have an employee. 2.6 million are sole proprietorship.”

With decades of experience as an entrepreneur, Williams smiles when she says, “We really need a small business year.”

Busby underscores the sentiment.

“If we can grow our small Black businesses, we can effectively create the jobs we need in our communities,” he states.

And, creating more jobs is a gift that would transcend the holiday shopping season.