CHARLOTTE — The Queen City is one of the top three metro areas to open a small business- in fact, the top three places are in North Carolina, according to a recent study.
With Small Business Saturday coming up this weekend, it’s time to show your support for your favorite local stops and shops.
J.D. Harris opened his clothing business, called, ‘Glory Days’ more than seven years ago. He credits steady support from customers for helping him expand his brick-and-mortar SouthEnd location.
“We rely on our fans, they’re really what drives our brand. The next few days are some of the biggest of ours for the year,” Harris said.
Harris isn’t the only small business owner finding success in Charlotte. A recent study by Lending Tree found that the Queen City is the second-best area in the U.S. to start a small business, just behind Raleigh.
The study also found that Charlotte has a business-friendly tax climate and a strong start-up survival rate.
“It’s growing like crazy, and from our experience, all of our fans like to support not just us, but others in the Charlotte area,” Harris said.
“I believe that people do value small businesses and they wanna help the local community,” Dana James, owner of Karousel Kids Consignment shop, said.
James explained to Jackson that starting her own business was a huge gamble. Now, three decades later the chance she took continues to pay off. She did admit that her biggest challenge is competing with large, online retailers.
“In a big box store, it’s not always that you get the “hello” and you know people by name. and we value that as well,” James said.
Both owners are hopeful that customers will turn to them to keep the holidays merry and bright,
“Not just us but all the small businesses appreciate their support, and we look forward to having you come out,” Harris said.
(WATCH BELOW: New TD Bank location opens with community space for local small business owners)
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