With a weakening economy and a poor buyout market for larger companies, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported on Friday that the sale of small businesses is thriving, according to new industry data from the nation’s largest online business broker, BizBuySell LLC.

Across the United States, BizBuySell reported a 66 percent increase in closed deals, up from 1,081 in the first quarter of 2007 to 1,796 during the same period in 2008. National listings on the site quadrupled.

Unlike major corporate transactions with recognizable brand names, small business sales typically go unnoticed, even though the deals often involve businesses consumers use every day. Small businesses are typically bought by individuals, rather than private equity firms or strategic competitors, brokers said.

Several factors are driving Atlanta area small business owners to look to sell, brokers said. Some are concerned about the economy, which has weakened significantly over the past year. Others are concerned about their particular industries.

BizBuySell’s data shows that in Atlanta the gap between the asking price and the actual sales price got smaller in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the first quarter of 2007, showing that sellers are beginning to ask for less and are still getting less for their businesses. Brokers said it was driven in part by sellers simply asking for less.