By Gerri Miller
EAN Staff Writer
The holidays are a great time to invest in our communities by shopping with local businesses. It is particularly important in 2020 to shop local and help our Elmore and Autauga businesses thrive, says local chamber officials and economic developers.
Go see an artist at work at Julianne Hansen Fine Art & Pottery in Prattville or take a class and make a Christmas gift that will be treasured for years to come. Give a gift certificate for pet grooming in Millbrook at Grooming at Snifannies. Get some tasty desserts and breads for your holiday table from Gracie’s Sweet Things in Wetumpka. The list of wonderful local options is almost endless.
Ann Harper, economic developer for the City of Millbrook, said the best way to shop local is find out for yourself what your community offers.
“We can’t just say Shop Local, Shop Millbrook and expect to keep our local economy vibrant and healthy,” Harper said. “We have to take the time to explore our community to learn what’s here and support those local businesses with our presence and our dollars.”
Patty VanderWal, president of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce, stressed the importance of loving what’s local in 2020.
“The current pandemic has negatively impacted nearly all aspects of the economy, including our local small businesses,” she said. “It is more important now than ever before for us all to support our local businesses! Not only does supporting our locally owned small businesses benefit our local economy, it also provides consumers with better customer service experiences. And, when you shop local, you are investing in your neighbors, your friends, and your community. Shopping local proves your community is worth investing in.”
Shellie Whitfield, executive director of the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce, said an advantage to shopping local is that shoppers can find unique, locally made gifts and the sales tax revenue goes back into the community helping fund schools and local programs.
“When you shop local you help people who live in your own community,” Whitfield said. “Wetumpka’s shops are full of wonderful things that you can’t find anywhere else. Our town is small, and our shops have very few people in them so shoppers can feel ‘waited on’ and safe while shopping.”
“We have everything you need: clothing, shoes, home decor, candles, lingerie, spices, breads, coffee, art, awesome restaurants and wonderful people that want to help you,” Whitfield continued.
Harper named several ways area communities benefit from shopping local:
– The portion of the tax that the city receives from retail sales helps funds basic municipal services such as fire and police protection, parks and recreation, street repairs and other infrastructure improvements.
– Shopping at local businesses increases the demand for goods and services, which creates new jobs in the community that further stimulates the economy.
– When we shop locally, more of our money stays local and recirculates to create a “multiplier effect,” which means that every dollar spent at a local independently owned business stays in the community and helps generate a far greater economic value such as more jobs, income and wealth, tax revenue and charitable contributions.
– Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.
– One-of-a-kind shops and restaurants are part of what makes our cities great places to live
– Local shopping is crucial to cities’ continued growth and diversification because successful local businesses attract and encourage other entrepreneurs to start local businesses, leading to more jobs and revenue recirculating throughout our communities.
– Spending your dollars locally helps attract new development through new shopping opportunities.
“We do want people to shop at Walmart, but don’t forget the little guy,” Harper said.
Harper said it is important for people to be deliberate about their shopping and explore what’s available in their own communities. “Buy your gas here and go get a gift from Vicki’s Amish Traditions,” she said.
Small Business Saturday is November 28th. It follows Thanksgiving and Black Friday and encourages shoppers to patronize small businesses and invest in their local communities. It’s an important day to kick off the holiday season.
Multiple studies show that small businesses reinvest in the local economy at a higher rate than chains. For every $100 spent at one of these businesses, $67-$68 will stay in the community.
“Our city is working diligently to attract small businesses because we recognize their value to the economy,” Harper said, “But if people will support what we have here, it helps in these efforts.”
