Gov. Pat Quinn is encouraging shoppers to support Illinois' more than 1.1 million small businesses.

In a press release, the governor called small businesses "the backbone of the state's economy" and proclaimed it "Small Business Saturday."

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are about 28 million small businesses nationwide. Those businesses have created 65% of the new jobs over the past two decades.

The 3/50 Project, a small business advocacy group, says for every $100 spent in independent, locally-owned stores, $68 is returned to the local community.

The day falls between 2 of the busiest shopping days of the year - the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, when workers return to work and use their computers to snag deals online.