Editorial:

Support the local businesses that support our community

Posted 12/3/19

To mark the beginning of the holiday season, local businesses recently gave out various holiday goodies — from sweets to ciders to soups — to hundreds of shoppers. Many stores also …

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Editorial:

Support the local businesses that support our community

Posted

To mark the beginning of the holiday season, local businesses recently gave out various holiday goodies — from sweets to ciders to soups — to hundreds of shoppers. Many stores also offered special discounts, and it was encouraging to see so many residents filling downtown Powell for the annual Sample the Season. Several new shops have opened in Powell over the past year, and we’re glad to see lights and life return to those storefronts.

This coming weekend will also be busy as Powell hosts Country Christmas festivities from Friday through Sunday.

These holiday events are a great way to highlight hometown businesses, and we hope residents are inspired to shop locally not only at Christmastime, but throughout the entire year.

When you support a local business, the reality is you’re supporting Powell. Our community wouldn’t be what it is without local businesses’ generosity and willingness to give back.

When 4-H and FFA youth sell their livestock at the Park County Fair each summer, local businesses fill the barn and ensure that every animal is purchased. When Powellites organize a fundraiser for someone facing significant medical bills, local businesses donate to the cause. When local sports teams or extracurricular groups need to raise money, local businesses help out.

We could go on and on with examples, because we know that from January through December, local businesses step up to help this community. That’s why it’s so important for residents to support Powell stores and restaurants by shopping locally this holiday season.

You may not be able to find everything on your Christmas lists in Powell, and yes, sometimes it may be more expensive. But many gifts can be purchased here at a good price, and it’s worth checking out what’s available at local businesses, especially before driving 90 miles.

We know online shopping has hurt many stores in our area, and they must figure out how to survive in this new frontier for retail. But that’s where you — the consumer — play such a vital role.

For every dollar spent at a small business, an estimated 67 cents stays in our community, according to a 2018 Small Business Economic Impact Study.

Across America, merchants celebrated Small Business Saturday over the weekend. The day has become a nationwide movement, sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here are just a few of the reasons why it’s important to shop locally, adopted from Small Business Saturday organizers:

  • You support local jobs.
  • You help the environment by reducing the need for packaging and shipping.
  • You encourage community.
  • You benefit from local business owners’ expertise.
  • You invest in entrepreneurship.
  • You make our community a destination.

Most of us who live in Powell want to see our community thrive. So don’t limit the “shop small” ideas to just one Saturday a year — let’s keep Powell vibrant by shopping locally throughout the entire year.

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