We’ve said it before; we’ll say it now; and we’ll undoubtedly say it again: Small businesses need our support.

As the nation recognizes Small Business Week this week, we too wanted to reaffirm our support for the locally owned and operated businesses across Butler County.

Of course, it feels good to support your friends and neighbors in their endeavors, but the act of supporting small, local businesses has further benefits for the community.

Shopping locally keeps your dollars in the local economy. This money spent circles back into your community, benefiting the area.

This might include the creation of local jobs, increased wages at existing local jobs or donations to local nonprofits.

Small, local businesses are much more likely to donate to schools and nonprofits. They quite often want to play a role in the “good things” going on in the community and will financially contribute to those “good things.”

Further, in supporting small businesses, you keep local storefronts full, mitigating blight and helping to ensure local buildings are cared for. Vacant storefronts aren’t attractive, but without support, the local, small businesses that want to fill them won’t be able to afford the space.

The COVID-19 pandemic threw challenge after challenge at small businesses across the United States. The businesses here in Butler County had plenty of hurdles to surmount, too.

Small businesses took financial hits as foot traffic decreased in the past two years. Many pivoted strategically to find markets online and took extraordinary efforts to keep customers happy.

Others weren’t able to pivot for a variety of reasons. Perhaps their products weren’t prime for online sales. Perhaps the pandemic brought along personal challenges and concerns that weighed into the decisions they made.

Despite the reasons, small businesses — even those that were able to pivot and survive the past two years of chaos — need our support.

So if you’re looking for a birthday gift for a family member or dinner on a Friday night, or you want to treat yourself for an occasion, consider spending your dollars at a locally owned business.

— TL