Small businesses and other locally owned businesses are often overlooked for larger corporations. They can come in many different forms: small stores, family grocers, online businesses and small companies.

They are a key part of the culture in a community, as they tend to be family-run, and members of the community are used to having the store as a staple of the area. The problem is that many businesses are being shut down or closed for various reasons. Many small businesses struggle to stay afloat in this competitive venture, and those that manage to keep up are eventually overtaken by the larger companies.

Large corporations have a substantial impact on small businesses, but not necessarily a good one. According to Rogé Karma, a writer for “The Atlantic”, Walmart was discussed as a bringer of bad news to every place it arrives. The article stated, “[Walmart] uses its low prices to undercut competitors and become the dominant player in a given area.”

Unfortunately for the small businesses in the area, Walmart’s cheap prices attract more people, and then it becomes a staple store in the town. Everyone has heard of or been to Walmart, which makes people more inclined to go since people tend to follow the crowd. Soon, nearly everyone will be going to Walmart and not supporting their local businesses.

This causes the small businesses to have to raise their prices to keep up, as they are getting fewer customers and fewer sales. The problem with this, however, is that the cheap prices are the main attraction of Walmart, and when people compare prices, they’re more likely to go to Walmart instead.

On top of this, the owners of these large corporations are very wealthy members of society. These billionaires really do not need to be making more money, and yet they continue making money, even when the success of other smaller companies and businesses is put into jeopardy. The number of local stores and companies that are put out of business because of this is outrageous.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, in the United States alone, “around 595,000 businesses fail or close each year.” The billion-dollar companies keep getting richer while the smaller, less widespread stores fall short and eventually go out of business.

The owners of these small shops are average, everyday people who need to make a living and feed their families. Anyone could be a small business owner, and one would never be able to tell.

Nothing sets these people apart or makes them any different from the general population of non-small business owners. Most people don’t realize the importance of shopping at and supporting local businesses; they fail to notice that they’re supporting the owner’s lifestyle and funding their way of life.

On top of that, it can feel rewarding to support the people who run these businesses. When contributing to this person’s livelihood, one should feel happy. It’s even more rewarding if one knows the person who owns the business because they could be supporting close friends or even a neighbor. Showing support can go a long way and boost the confidence of the store owner.

Small businesses are and have always been important to communities everywhere, which is why one should make an effort to continue supporting them.