Have you seen the decorations yet? Large retailers have had them up for weeks already in preparation for the shopping season that is about to begin. We are of course talking about holiday decorations, the earliest sign that the holidays are once again upon us.
And as we head out to make our purchases this year, we have a fundamental decision to make: do we shop the big regional or nationwide retail stores, or do we shop local? Let’s discuss this important question a little more in depth.
Why You Should Shop Local
Put simply: it helps stimulate the local economy. How? Here’s an example:
- A cycling enthusiast opens up a bike shop
- The owner hires locals to help run the shop, giving these people an income and money to spend
- As business grows, the owner must hire more help
- More sales could mean more in local taxes, which go to help fund things like better roads, parks and trails…
- Which creates a larger community of cyclists, meaning more people visit the shop
Granted, this is a perfect scenario. However, the principle is the same; the more shopping done at local businesses, the more cash is pumped into the local economy. When local businesses do better, they have to hire more staff from the community, meaning more people have jobs and income to spend.
How You can Shop Local
You can start by heading out on Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday, to shops and stores that are in your community that aren’t part of regional or national chain. Small Business Saturday was started in 2010 as a way to bring the focus to shopping at local businesses in your community, and many of our area chambers of commerce have started to participate.
But don’t just shop there on Small Business Saturday. While there may be exclusive sales just for that day, we should all continue visiting our local businesses throughout the holiday season to do our shopping.
We are all in this together, individuals, families and small businesses. It takes all of us to create a better community, one that is successful, thriving and attractive to those looking to make a move to Northeast Iowa.
We look forward to seeing everyone out and about on Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season!
-Northeast Security Bank
Tags: decorah shopping, shop local, shopping local, small business saturday