What sets a small business apart from any large-scale corporation? While the number of employees does matter, under 500 to be exact, a small business is so much more than just another store. Small businesses are more ethical, pillars of local economies, and cultivate local culture. 

Supporting small businesses means supporting real people, not another faceless billionaire profiting off of their disposable employees. It also means supporting our friends, peers, and their families. Many of our own St. Dominic families are small business owners, some of which were highlighted at St. Dominic’s annual Evening of the Crusader Gala. Petal and Bells, owned by the Feldman family, are local florists specializing in weddings, and supplied the floral arrangements for the Gala. Small businesses like Petal and Bells employ locals, support their community’s economy, and contribute to taxes. Much of the money spent at a small business is reinvested into the community. 

Many small businesses source their wares from local artisans, rather than whatever sweatshop is cheapest, like many major corporations do. Sourcing from local artisans produces unique items, and allows small businesses to offer one-of-a-kind products larger businesses simply couldn’t source. Small businesses have a unique identity that makes shopping there an experience you can’t find anywhere else. The White Hare, owned by the Corrigan family, is the perfect example of a small business with a beautifully curated identity. Identities like these help develop the culture of the area in a way that large, standardized chain stores can’t. 

Shopping small is a great way to be more environmentally conscious. Small businesses usually source locally, and often aren’t shipping worldwide like larger businesses, which reduces their carbon footprint significantly. Because small businesses aren’t mass producing their products, they aren’t massively polluting the environment with manufacturing waste or greenhouse gasses. 

Small businesses are an integral part of our communities. They’re an investment, a source of pride, and a way to form connections with each other. Collectively, we should reconsider why we rely so heavily on the convenience of corporations when we know the harm they do. Turning a blind eye to small business for so long is a true failure to our communities.