“There is a personal touch when you shop with a small business,” Mick Tedesco, owner of Silver Spoon Bakery on Main Street in East Greenwich, said Tuesday. “You get to know the workers and I know I personally come out and greet customers. I like to talk to them, welcome to our store and your not going to get that with a chain store.”

This weekend, as part of the national Shop Small movement, people are encouraged to participate in Small Business Saturday, taking the day to shop and dine at local and individually owned stores across the state.

Small Business Saturday began in 2010, on the Saturday following Thanksgiving; only a year later it was nationally recognized. Only in its third year, 73.9 million people across the country participated in the holiday and last year an estimated $14.3 billion was spent as part of Small Business Saturday.

To promote the holiday, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the congressional delegation took a walking tour of East Greenwich Main Street businesses Tuesday morning.

The group began outside the Post Office Café, moving on to the Silver Spoon Bakery, to Bon Appetit, Green Door and Sports and more.

Seth Goodall, regional administrator for SBA, said that when people spend money on small, local businesses those funds “make the rounds,” eventually benefiting the community. Small businesses continually give back, Goodall said; “Owners are coaches, they are sponsoring teams and supporting churches, making donations to food pantries, all in an effort to grow and strengthen the community.”

He noted that Rhode Island is fortunate to have a congressional delegation dedicated to seeing small businesses prosper.

Senator Jack Reed joked that shopping small is something he does every day, “for obvious reasons,” but that small businesses are the “engine” that drives our economy. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Reed believes Small Business Saturday fits perfectly in the middle, to share the wealth and get more connected with one’s community.

Congressman James Langevin said that small businesses employ friends and neighbors so we need to celebrate and support those businesses.

Senator Whitehouse pointed out that it is also important to dine small and encouraged citizens to take a meal at one of the state’s local restaurants.

There are around 93,000 small businesses in Rhode Island, Congressman David Cicilline said, and nationally small businesses generated two million jobs last year.

“The holidays are a make-or-break time for a lot of small businesses. Support your neighbors, friends and community by shopping locally,” Cicilline said.

Main Street is a busy road, lined with individually owned businesses and Tedesco, whose bakery opened three years ago, said that as it gets colder business often slows down, but initiatives like Small Business Saturday helps to boost traffic again.

“This is a fun way for the entire community to participate in helping our economy,” Tedesco said. “Especially during the holidays, it’s a way to pull in new and old customers.”

Goodall claimed that Small Business Saturday is one of the most important days of the year for small businesses because it helps them generate new business during the winter months.

Heather Singleton, COO of Rhode Island Hospitality Association is proud to shop local and said small businesses are the “cornerstone” of the American economy; in Rhode Island alone she said small businesses bring in $5 billion in revenue for the state.

As a business owner, Lt. Governor Daniel McKee said he appreciated initiatives like Small Business Saturday that spotlight businesses and the their great, local products.

He said by shopping and dining locally citizens can help bolster the economy and in turn small business owners can tell potential storeowners that it is good to do business in Rhode Island.

“It helps to keep pushing our economy forward,” he said.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU: Kayla Morris (left) and Jackie Wurtz, both graduates from Johnson & Wales University, interact with the congressional delegation about their jobs at the Silver Spoon Bakery.