To the editor:
When was the last time you visited a local Hillsborough business for the first time?
If you can’t remember, please visit one Saturday, Nov. 28, on “Small Business Saturday.”
Small businesses and small business owners are the lifeblood of our economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
Small businesses contribute to local economies by bringing growth to the community in which the business is established. Since 1995, small businesses have generated 64 percent of new jobs in communities across the country. Supporting local businesses is also supporting each other, as increased local business results in increased local tax revenue, which is used to help pay for our local township expenses.
On a more personal level, small businesses and the interactions with them are an invaluable part of a strong, thriving community or neighborhood. Whether you’re picking up a morning paper or bagel, your dry cleaning, or an evening meal, visiting local businesses is an integral part of our daily lives. Consider the relationships built when bringing your kids to one of the many martial arts or popular dance studios, or heading to one of the great workout or training facilities here in town. Perhaps less visible may be ‘home improvement’ businesses located here in Hillsborough, or doctors or dentists, plumbers or other professionals. Also sometimes less visible is the local toy store or specialty shop, hidden in one of our many small-sized shopping centers.
We hear about all of these through word of mouth, and also lately on various Community forums on Facebook. And I can tell you that no matter what you need, or need done, there are countless businesses or professionals right here in Hillsborough that will do as good or a better job than anyone you’d find outside Hillsborough.
Therefore I encourage everyone to always think “Hillsborough First,” and visit the Hillsborough Business Association page on the Hillsborough Township website to view a detailed list of Hillsborough businesses.
We should all support local small businesses throughout the year. But, next Saturday, Nov. 28, is “Small Business Saturday.” So I encourage everyone to make plans to come out and “Shop Small” on this day, and perhaps even visit one local small business for the first time.
Ken Hesthag
Hillsborough
The writer is chairman of the township Economic and Business Development Commission.
