Shop Local This Holiday Season: It’s Not Just Business, It’s Personal

Saturday (Nov. 26) is Small Business Saturday. I’m not sure how many of you knew that. I realize it pales in comparison to Black Friday, or, for many, Cyber Monday. I get it. I live here too. But, the thing is, it matters. It really does.

The Allure of the Big Guys

We live in a small town, surrounded by even smaller towns. Small businesses are everywhere. There’s the convenience store on the corner, the gift shop downtown and the local pizza place that still serves the best slice in town. We take them for granted. We complain that the prices are too high. And maybe we’ll whine about the fact that the décor isn’t up to contemporary standards.

The big box stores are alluring. They have everything in one place and sales that make you feel like they’re actually giving the stuff away. And they are far more convenient with their large, no-charge parking lots.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the big stores and I shop there often. I order stuff online — far too often. It’s a lot easier sometimes than driving all around town looking for an item that I can both find and buy in a matter of a few clicks on my computer.

But we can’t forget about the little guys. They need us. And, more importantly, we need them.

The Personal Side of Local Businesses

I used to own a small store. It was a specialty, retail shop that catered to a very small group of shoppers. Everything I owned was available online. I knew that, and shoppers frequently reminded me. They also loved to tell me how they could get the same item for 20 percent less online. I knew that too. I couldn’t argue with them, but I wish I could have pleaded my case, especially when they needed a last-minute item that I, fortunately, had in stock.

The reality was, and still is, we can all find cheaper things elsewhere. It’s the advantage of businesses that operate out of warehouses with minimum wage employees, in areas chosen for their low cost-of-living. They can keep their prices down.

But, that small business down the street… well, the owner is a neighbor of yours. You know her. You know her story. You know how hard she is working just to get by. Every time you stop in and buy something, you make a difference to her. Your one purchase may put her over her daily goal. You make it possible for her to keep going.

And, when her business is doing well, she can afford to hire some help. The kids of some of your friends may start working there. Or, better yet, she might give a job to your child one day. As the store continues to do well, she can order more merchandise, offer discounts, and even give the place a facelift. It’s amazing what good business can do to grow a business.

The Local Difference

When her business thrives, so do others. The more stores, the more draw to spending some time shopping in town. Remember the days when you actually picked up an item and felt it before you bought it? When you shop local you can walk up and down the street, in and out of shops, both seeing and touching potential purchases. You can even make an outing of it, stopping in at a restaurant for a drink or dinner. You can meet up with a friend, or spend some quality, alone time checking items off of your holiday list.

Shopping local makes a difference. It helps our community to flourish. Let’s not forget, it was only a few short years ago that our town was threatened with changes that could have caused considerable damage to our prosperity. The big stores could have survived. They have national sales to keep them going. Not local shops. They depend on local shoppers. Without us, they could have failed.

But they didn’t. Most of them are still here. They’re still offering the items our kids need for their after-school activities. They’re selling the gift you grab when you forget to buy something for your friend’s last-minute birthday dinner. And they’re willing to call you when the shoes you needed, but they didn’t have in stock, just arrived. The local stores are willing to help in ways other stores just don’t get.

Especially at the Holidays

And so the holidays are upon us. It’s the busiest time of the year for most retail businesses.  Unfortunately that’s not necessarily the case around here. In our town, half of the shoppers are heading home to their local malls and to their favorite online shops. The busiest shopping season can be awfully quiet in a college town.

This is all the more reason for the rest of us to get out and shop local. When you think about it, it makes it that much easier to do so. Without students around, the lines are shorter everywhere. Parking is not nearly the same issue. (Although, I’ll argue it’s rarely ever that big of a problem. All you have to do is drive around a couple of times. And, nowadays, you can download a parking app on your phone so you don’t even need change for the meter.) And, the chance of running into a friend you haven’t seen in awhile is just that much greater when you shop locally.

So Small Business Saturday is tomorrow. Yes, it’s important to get out that day and support local shops. But, let’s try to do even better. Let’s remember to shop local throughout this holiday season. It really does matter.