National Small Business Week is coming up, so the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce is encouraging people in Selma to shop local.

The week was started in 1963 and recognizes the contributions of small businesses across America, and there certainly isn’t a lack for small businesses in Selma.

Landon Nichols, tourism and marketing director for the Chamber, said Selma has an abundance of smalls business, and they play a big role in the community.

“Small businesses are absolutely the backbone of Selma and really communities across America,” Nichols said. “As you get out and about and look at events and organizations and some of the good things going on in our city, if you take a moment to look, you’ll see more often than not they’ve been sponsored by our small businesses.”

Nichols said small businesses play a role in making the community a better place while also providing jobs for people.

“As far as national numbers go, they create two out of three new jobs and account for more than half of employed Americans,” he said. “Small businesses really are the economic drivers constantly.”

Not only do small businesses support the community, but they also support the economy.

“We always want to encourage everyone to #shopselmafirst. If you can find it in Selma and Dallas County, we want to encourage you to buy it here locally,” Nichols said.

“You can drive 45 minutes or an hour to Prattville or Montgomery, and you might be able to get it a couple of dollars cheaper, but spending those extra dollars and spending that money in our community allows your dollar to turn over in our economy.”

Shopping locally doesn’t just help the business. It also helps the people who own the business and their employees.

“By shopping local, not only are you supporting the organization itself, you’re supporting jobs, your neighbors, your friends that are employed by that organization and most importantly, you’re supporting the local economy,” Nichols said. “As you spend with our local, small businesses, your dollar is directly getting reinvested in our community as opposed to being invested in other communities.”

Money spent here in Selma also helps the tax base here in Selma and Dallas County, which helps repair roads, fund schools and support other projects to make the community a better place to live.

“When you spend here in Selma and Dallas County, those tax dollars stay here and are used locally.” Nichols said. “If you drive over to Montgomery and spend it, they’re going to use it on their river walk, and we’d rather have it on ours.”

Whether it is eating out at a locally owned restaurant or buying something from a local store, money spent here makes a direct impact on the quality of life here.

“If you spend a dollar in Montgomery and spend a dollar in Selma, I can guarantee it will be felt much greater in Selma than in Montgomery, and that’s just scale,” Nichols said. “When you take your dollars and spend them in a small community, it has a great impact on that community.”