By Sara Escobar

Since 2010, American Express has advocated for small and local businesses with “Small Business Saturday”. It began by American Express encouraging small business owners to promote their businesses with the help of free personalized ads; in 2014 there was an estimated $14.3 billion spent at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, and last year nearly 95 million people across the nation went out to shop at small businesses. For the past few years, Harker Heights has pledged to support the annual event that takes place on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This event also promotes early holiday shopping for consumers who wish to stay local.
Harker Heights’ Chamber of Commerce has worked tirelessly each year to promote the small businesses in the area as well as explain the benefits to consumers. This year, the chamber invited citizens to attend their “Keepin’ it Local” event on November 19 at the Harker Heights library and activities center. The event, which took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. acted as a sort of preview for Small Business Saturday, and allowed vendors to gather, showcase, and sell products from their businesses.
“We really try to promote small businesses throughout the year,” said Chamber President and CEO, Gina Pence. “A large percentage of our businesses are small or family owned, and we want members of the community to understand that when you shop local, you are keeping your money local, too,”
“The energy was definitely up this year,” said chamber member Jodi Bailey. “This was our first year holding a demo-event like this. We had cooking presentations, wine displays, and lots of other activities to take part in. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback so far, and to see the local businesses who really got involved with this event is what makes it all worthwhile,”
Over 30 vendors were in attendance at the Keepin’ it Local event, and there are plans to make next year an even bigger social occasion.
For more information on events in the area, visit the Harker Heights website at www.ci.harker-heights.tx.us.