Like millions of Americans, my first job was in retail. Maybold Shoe Store in Newark, Ohio sat right on the town square and was owned by Floyd McKenna, a well-known small business owner and active member of the community. As a teenager, I saw firsthand what it meant to own and operate a small business. I started out as a stock boy and was later promoted to the sales floor – learning early on that hard work gets rewarded. I like to think that my first job set me on my path for a career in the industry.
I imagine that most Americans identify with and are connected to the retailers in their communities and along Main Street. Whether their parents owned a store front, or they frequented the local ice cream shop after school, small business is the bedrock of every community.
This week, SBA kicks off National Small Business Week. It’s an important time for all of us to recognize the critical contributions, innovations and service America’s small businesses provide us every day – specifically retailers. Out of the 42 million American retail jobs, seven in 10 retailers have less than 10 employees. And of these retailers, 95 percent operate in just one location. Retail IS small business.
Retail is an integral part of towns around the United States, and we’re proud to celebrate National Small Business Week here at NRF. Through these stats and the real-life stories NRF is capturing in our This is Retail campaign, we can begin to put the full breadth of the retail industry into perspective – and change misconceptions in the process. Next time you walk into a store, big or small, think about what it took to get that business off the ground and all the hard work it requires to open those doors every day.
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Date: June 17, 2013