Are you Shopping Small this holiday season?
A reminder to our business community that we are completing our listing of businesses that are participating in ‘Small Business Saturday’, which is happening on Saturday, November 25. We will be helping to spread the word about all the great shopping and savings that will be occurring in our town.
As a community, we should be just as excited about participating in Small Business Saturday as we are with Black Friday! We need to support our local retailers for a number of reasons.
1. Of independent retailers, almost 77% are sole proprietors. These retailers are your neighbors, friends, people you go to church with, people that your children go to school with. We want them to continue to be a part of this community.
2. These independent retailers live here and are major contributors to our community and our economy, including retail sales tax which our town primarily subsists on. The less we shop local, the less we contribute to our economic base, the less services you can expect.
3. Trends show that small business ownership is declining. As we look to the convenience of shopping online, consider shopping for an item online, but through a local source. That also means that our retail businesses need to have a good online presence as well as store frontage. How is your social media outreach? Have you listed your specials through the Chamber’s Business Update page? As a consumer, have you signed up to receive Business Updates to know what is happening with our business community?
4. Give the gift of unique. Retailers look to provide unique, diverse items catering to the interest and popularity of the public and relative to the area.
5. Giving back to the business community that gives all year long is important. As a member or volunteer of a non-profit organization, no one thinks twice about going and asking a business for a gift card, a physical item, a sponsorship to help their cause. But do you give back and say thank you by buying from that store or restaurant that contributes to the success of numerous non-profit agencies here in our community all year long? Shopping is more than just finding the best price. It’s price, and convenience, and support.
Small Business Saturday is just another way for our small retailers to reach out and ask for your support and remind you to keep your dollars local. Support our retail business community not only year-round, but especially this holiday season. Enjoy the specials, discounts, add-ons, give-aways and so much more happening on Small Business Saturday, November 25.
Shop Local and support our businesses and our economy.
Mary Jo Coulehan is Executive Director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on a number of local and state boards.