Thinking small could
I’ve been waiting to write this until after I visited my first Christmas market of the year. I wanted to see if what I thought about shopping small, shopping local, was true.
For a long time, I’ve had the intention of moving away from the ‘‘big’’ shops at Christmas. So there we were, my friend and I, with our kids in tow, as we set out on our #shopsmall adventure.
I was not disappointed as we wandered and marvelled from stall to stall, so here are my top five reasons to #shopsmall this festive season.
Thriving community
The first thing to hit me was the wave of noise and excitable energy in the room. Some had come with friends, others had made it a family affair, and some were enjoying the experience alone.
The one thing we all shared? The joy of celebrating and revelling in the community feel. I can’t say I’ve ever had that feeling racing around department stores or battling the hordes in the mall.
It isn’t just ‘‘in real life’’ where this sense of community warms our hearts and gets the festive feeling flowing.
Markets are now a regular feature online and sites like Liked by Becky offer a thriving digital community where you can shop small from the comfort of your sofa, eggnog in hand.
‘‘When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance.’’
I’ve seen this quote a lot lately, and it is so true.
Every time someone asks me to write a piece, no matter how big or small, it makes my heart soar.
Sales and figures are not just numbers to we small business owners. They are a reflection of our hopes and dreams. They are validation that the brave steps we took to launch ourselves from the ground were the right ones.
Anytime you click ‘‘add to basket’’, you are paying it forward.
Not only do you get a gorgeous gift, a service that will make your life easier or a special treat for yourself, but you are supporting another person or family.