As you are reading this, there are only 19 shopping days left until Christmas.
Don’t panic, there’s still time to cross off all of the immediate family and those rarely seen nieces and nephews from the shopping list.
While some folks begin their Yuletide planning around Halloween, it’s traditionally Thanksgiving that kicks the holiday season into high gear. Christmas music fills the airwaves, gingerbread houses start showing up in shop windows and even the first snowflakes make an appearance after Black Friday.
In Highlands, and across the country, businesses count on holiday shopping to bring a revenue boost before the end of the year. Shopping locally and spending money close to home is a strategy that benefits everyone.
In a study by consumer group Civic Economics, 48 percent of each purchase’s funds at a local independently owned retailer were recirculated in the local community compared to only 14 percent of the same funds from national retailers. As of 2018, there were 30.2 million small businesses operating in the United States, which account for more than 99 percent of total businesses.
Small, independently owned businesses foster a sense of community, provide jobs and create a culture of entrepreneurship. In good economic times and in bad, small businesses remain among the ties that bond towns together.
In 2010, American Express coined the term “Small Business Saturday” to describe the Saturday after Thanksgiving. One day post-Black Friday. The idea was to get consumers in the habit of thinking about local retailers a day after crowding into big-box stores. Since Small Business Saturday came into existence, the day has generated $103 billion in spending at small businesses.
But one day to recognize all of the amazing small businesses in Highlands simply isn’t enough. With 19 days left to pick out the perfect presents, take a moment to look close to home for the right gift. The variation of products and the small town customer service might just win you over.
Black Friday may kick off the Christmas shopping season, but that frenzy has come and gone for 2019. Let’s use the next three weeks to support our local businesses.
