Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Small businesses in Washington also feel the impact from local support. Main Street Washington Executive Director Samantha Meyer says when people shop locally that money positively impacts the community, “It stays in Washington. That’s the biggest thing, our small businesses are staffed by local people who spend their money here, too. They get their supplies here. They donate to every single organization there is in town. They are the shops that you go to and you ask, ‘Hey, will you support our team for this, or a fundraiser for this family member or a friend?’ And they usually say, ‘Yes.’ So it’s just really important to show them that we are supportive of them as well.”  

More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.