Make choices to support local businesses

Advocates are suggesting consumers embrace the concept not just for a day but as a shift in habit.

Who would have thought last spring when business shutdowns started that the holiday season would be here while the COVID-19 pandemic remains? And now, as thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and ChristmasHanukkah shopping, a fall resurgence of the coronavirus has business owners wondering if things will get worse before they get better.

Is there anything that people can do to help? As it turns out, there is: Consumers can make choices in their holiday shopping to support local enterprise, a choice that can keep businesses alive.

The philosophy of shopping local was made popular several years ago with a nationwide campaign started by American Express, “Shop Small,” that spawned Small Business Saturday on the post-Thanksgiving weekend kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

In this pandemic, small business advocates are suggesting consumers embrace the concept not just for a day but as a shift in habit.

“We need to make the months ahead small business months — 2021 should be the year of the small business,” said David Zellers Jr., Montgomery County commerce director, quoted in a recent Business story for MediaNews Group.

“Every time you spend a dollar it helps support a neighbor, a friend, a family member. Those dollars are reinvested in the community time and time again,” Zellers added.

“It’s no secret that this pandemic has affected small local businesses, with 58% of small businesses worried about whether or not they will have to permanently close their businesses,” wrote the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce in a recent blog post.

“Now more than ever it’s important to support brickand-mortar retailers and small businesses,” said Rachel Ammon, marketing and communications director for King of Prussia District.

Another campaign in Montgomery County is the $300,000 Make It Main Street marketing campaign by the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board and Montgomery County Commissioners. The campaign will use advertising, billboards social media and public relations to encourage support of the small businesses that support the county’s tourism and hospitality industry.

Some may say that patronizing local businesses is more difficult in a pandemic when online ordering and home delivery are touted to reduce virus spread. Local businesses understand that need for safety, too, and have enhanced online ordering and developed deliveries and curbside pickup practices to accommodate contact-less shopping.

Restaurants have increased their takeout options with both delivery and pickup alternatives. And while outdoor dining wanes in the cooler months, many restaurants have invested in heaters to extend the season for their newly renovated outdoor spaces.

Supporting local business requires paying attention to what those businesses offer and seeking out ways to boost business. In its blog post, the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce encouraged the purchase of gift cards for restaurants, especially for people who may not yet feel comfortable about dining indoors.

“Gift cards are like interestfree loans, and they are a great way to keep your favorite bars and restaurants open with the promise of seeing them again when the weather warms up,” the blog post stated. And they make great gifts mailed or emailed to family and friends in place of in-person gift exchanges.

Zellers said consumers can take another step to support local businesses.

“If you have a great experience at a local business, promote them on social media. People always look to other people for ideas on where to go — let them know. Be a champion of small and local business,” he said.

And always, Zellers said, follow local, state and CDC guidance about the virus. Ultimately, the biggest boost for local businesses will be when the virus is contained.

“We will see things reopen as we continue to do well. Striking that important balance and recognizing that the more everyone works together to follow the guidance the more we can support our businesses. That is what it is all about at the end of the day,” Zellers said.

The focus on small business has potential beyond the pandemic to bolster this part of our economy that can have a lasting impact on our towns and neighborhoods.

Think big about shopping small this holiday season. It could be the antidote to 2020 that our communities need.