Shop local small businesses
and support your community!
It’s the time of year when newspapers thicken with sales
I
circulars and holiday advertisements. Consumers looking to
beat the hustle and bustle and steer clear of the crowds this
year may want to pay attention to local businesses in lieu of
trekking to nearby shopping malls.
Every time consumers visit local coffee shops to grab a
latte, pick up a dress at a nearby boutique or patronize a farmer’s
market down the street, they are supporting a small business.
The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are some of
the busiest shopping days of the season, and they also can be
some of the friendliest to small businesses.
Plaid Friday was conceptualized in Oakland. It may have
been born in the Golden State, but the movement soon spread
across the country. Plaid Friday is an alternative to big box
stores’ Black Friday bonanzas. It is designed to promote both
local and independently-owned businesses during the holiday
season. The name Plaid Friday was used to help people
visualize the various threads of small businesses coming together
to create a strong community fabric that was diverse
and creativity.
Supporting local businesses is
easy. And shoppers who like what
they see can share the good news
with others on social media.
Shoppers can continue
their small business
patronage with
Small Business Saturday.
This, too, is a
counterpart to Black
Friday and Cyber Mon-
������������������������������������������������
created by American
Express in conjunction
���������� �������� ������������������ ����-
tional Trust for Historic
Preservation. Since its
inception, many small
business groups, merchants
and politicians
have touted the event
and the Shop Small®
mantra. The idea is that when small businesses thrive, communities
and individuals thrive along with them.
The Small Business Administration says that, since 1995,
small businesses have generated 66 percent of all new jobs in
the United States. There are a number of big reasons to shop
small. One can start around the holidays and then continue
all year long.
Shopping small businesses helps give back to the community
directly. On average 48 percent of each purchase made
at independent businesses is recirculated locally through tax
money and other support.
Small business owners often strive to provide personalized,
hands-on customer service. Repeat business is key to
their survival, so they want to ensure shoppers are happy.
Small businesses, since they are not beholden to corpo-
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������-
bility. That allows them to offer a diverse product selection.
Small business owners often live nearby, and they’re the
people you see in town, schools and elsewhere in the local
community. Many consumers are comforted to know they’re
supporting their neighbors, especially during the holiday
season.
8 • NOVEMBER 2019 813.682.9364 FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE