In the spirit of Small Business Saturday, Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) sponsored a round-table discussion with local business owners to discuss challenges that face these small business owners across the Northern Virginia area. Topics they covered included the economy, credit card fees, labor challenges and tax complexities.

Beyer picked now for the event because the holiday season is busy and counted on by some as the make or break time.

For Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah, pies are a big part of the meals and Heather Sheire from “Livin’ the Pie Life,” of Arlington was in on the discussion. This year, chocolate is big for the pie menu, said Sheire, pie master there. “This is our busy season,” she said, “Congressman Beyer is always willing to listen,” she added.

One of the pies from  from “Livin’ the Pie Life,” of Arlington 

The chocolate mousse pie is a big seller, followed by the apple and pecan. For the pie store, people are always whipping out the plastic when it comes time to pay and this has a fee for the business which hurts when the profit margin is smaller. “Three percent of our gross goes to credit card fees,” Sheire said.

Credit card fees were something on her radar but there were other concerns also.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Saturday is recognized in all 50 states as a way to encourage consumers to support local businesses by “shopping small.” Shopping small does equate to about $184 billion spent that day, the chamber said. It started in 2011 to encourage shoppers to shop locally and to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of locally owned small businesses on the economy of the United States.