---
title: "The Champion Newspaper: Decatur Ranks Second Place for Small Business"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/72149953-2cd1-4739-be33-7a6cad651a12
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-champion-newspaper-decatur-ranks-second-place-for-small-business-8007
category: "Retail"
industry: "Retail"
published: 2016-11-23T22:17:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T13:27:29.259Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/c98da86896358ac02d3a380498f839a17595.jpg
---

# The Champion Newspaper: Decatur Ranks Second Place for Small Business

**TL;DR:** Decatur, GA ranks second place for small business, with holiday shopping expected to increase 3.6 percent this year. Welcomemat Services compiled a list of America's Top 25 Neighborhoods for Small Business, with Decatur ranking #2.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-11-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-champion-newspaper-decatur-ranks-second-place-for-small-business-8007).*

## Story

Holiday shopping this year is expected to increase a solid 3.6 percent, which is significantly higher than the 10-year average of 2.5 percent according to the National Retail Feferation (NRF).

"As America's big box stores get even bigger, it's more important than ever to recognize the power of small business ownership," Brian Mattingly, CEO of Welcomemat Services told The Champion reporter.

Big box stores tend to be the focus of Black Friday, the day after Thanksigiving when many use time off from work to start their holiday shopping. The day after Black Friday has been designated Small Business Saturday, where consumers are encouraged to shop at locally owned retail stores.

Welcomemat Services recently compiled a list of America's Top 25 Neighborhoods for Small Business and Decatur, GA ranked #2 on the list. Second to only Lakewood Ranch in Florida.

Neighborhoods were ranked based on various factors like community vibe to shop local, popularity of the neighborhood, sense of community belonging and additional factors.

"We're a data driven company," Mattingly told the reporter. "We look at a lot of facts and figures."

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Retail (sector)
- small business (topic)
- holiday shopping (topic)
- Lakewood Ranch (location)
- Decatur (location)
- National Retail Federation (regulator)
- neighborhood ranking (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-champion-newspaper-decatur-ranks-second-place-for-small-business-8007). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/72149953-2cd1-4739-be33-7a6cad651a12).