With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving less than three weeks away, it’s safe to say we have officially stepped across the threshold into the holiday season.
The magic of the season is upon us, and while I firmly believe that this time of year is made richer through quality time spent alongside family and friends with a focus on gratitude and spiritual blessings, the reality of the “s” word is lurking around every corner.
Shopping.
Living where we live and being a small business owner in rural America, I instantly must add another word to follow shopping. Local. The far-reaching importance of it has deepseated meaning for me — and it should for you too.
With shopping local on my mind, last week local business owners and I sat down to brainstorm ways to band together and provide an incredible hometown holiday shopping experience that encourages locals to stay local and make their holiday purchases close to home (SEE “HOMETOWN HOLIDAY” ON PAGE ONE).
Balancing a business or household budget during a recession (yes, now I said the “r” word) is challenging and we understand that everyone is tightening their belts as they feel the ripple effects of our current economy. While we know that our friends and neighbors are savvy shoppers, we also know that now, more than ever, is the perfect time to remind folks that a dollar spent locally pays dividends for a community in ways that online and big-box store purchases just can’t. Here are just a few:
• Spending locally instead of online ensures that your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong — in our community rather than going into the invisible pockets of far-away CEOs.
• Locally-owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, area service providers, farms and ranches. Purchasing local helps grow other businesses as well as the local tax base.
• The more interesting and unique our community is, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors and guests.
• In an economic recession those reasons to support small local businesses grow even more, as every customer dollar becomes vital.
Local business owners know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of big box chains and online giants.
Think about this: when was the last time Amazon or Walmart donated a silent auction item to your organization’s fundraising event?
It’s fair to say local business owners are asked to donate to fundraisers several times monthly. And we love giving back to our community. But being able to give means that we must have extra dollars above the resources we need to run our businesses.
This leaves it up to all of us in our community to prioritize shopping locally in order to keep our towns economically healthy and local businesses doing what we love — serving this community.
The power to nurture and grow our community lies squarely in your hands —and we are thankful for so many who already adopt that practice. If prioritizing local isn’t already top of mind, it might be easier than you think to be more conscious about local this holiday season.
As you review your holiday to-dos, close out of the Amazon app on your cell phone, log out of Facebook and Instagram and take your shopping list to the local business district. If what you’re looking for isn’t there today, ask the person who has supported countless local organizations and causes if they can bring it in for you. I’m certain the in-person customer service you’ll receive will far outweigh the online chat bot or out of country call center.
Within each of us lies the power to save our rural way of life, cultivate relevancy in our small towns and ensure hope and economic vibrancy for the future.
And it’s going to take all of us. Together.