I am excited to rise today to support National Mom and Pop

“I am excited to rise today to support National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day. This celebration honors the husband and wife business owner teams whose work helps drive the economy and fuel job growth.” — thus spoke Melissa Bean, and in her words we hear more than a modern proclamation. We hear the ancient hymn of labor, the timeless praise of those who build with their own hands and stand as pillars within their communities.

The mom and pop store is no small thing; it is the hearth of commerce, the living embodiment of trust between neighbors. Unlike the faceless empires of trade, these businesses are carried on the backs of husbands and wives, of families who rise early and rest late, who risk their future not in conquest but in service. Their story is as old as the marketplace of Athens, where merchants laid out their goods not only for coin, but to weave together the bonds of the economy and society.

When Bean speaks of job growth, she is reminding us that these small enterprises are not insignificant. They are the roots from which the great tree of prosperity grows. Consider the tale of Cyrus McCormick, whose family-owned workshop in Virginia developed the mechanical reaper. What began as the labor of a single family would transform agriculture and feed millions. From humble beginnings sprang innovations that altered the destiny of nations. Such is the power of the mom and pop vision, when sustained by persistence and faith.

The origin of this celebration lies in the recognition that strength is not only found in vast corporations or mighty governments, but in the daily toil of ordinary people who refuse to yield to hardship. These family businesses are the beating heart of the marketplace. They endure storms, economic downturns, and shifting times, yet they persist, because they are built not only on profit, but on loyalty, sacrifice, and the unity of family.

Let us not forget the heroism hidden in their labor. A husband and wife working side by side do not merely balance accounts and stock shelves. They balance dreams and reality, hope and fear, sacrifice and reward. Their work is both economic and spiritual: it teaches resilience, it cultivates discipline, and it embodies the sacred truth that greatness often begins in humble places.

The lesson for us all is plain: do not despise small beginnings. Support the local craftsman, the family shop, the neighbor who offers his service with honesty. For in strengthening them, we strengthen the foundation of the whole economy. And if you yourself dream of creating, do not wait for perfect conditions. Begin with what you have, where you are. Great legacies are born in the modest corners of kitchens, garages, and workshops.

Practical action follows: when you purchase, let your coin reflect your values. Choose to sustain the small business, to honor the labor of the mom and pop store, to keep alive the traditions of community. If you are part of a family, ask yourselves what dream you might pursue together—not only for wealth, but for legacy. For every family venture is a school for courage, a forge for character, and a gift to the generations yet to come.

Thus Melissa Bean’s words rise not merely as political declaration, but as ancient wisdom reborn: to honor the husband and wife who labor together, to cherish the mom and pop store as the hearth of society, to remember that the strength of the economy and the promise of job growth are not built in towers of glass, but in the sweat and devotion of ordinary families who dare to dream.