Small Business Saturday and Beyond: Spreading the Holiday Joy to Your Local Neighborhood

It’s around this time of year that all everyone can talk about is holiday shopping.

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah all coming up, it is only natural to be concerned about the prospect of shopping for loved ones. With Black Friday on the horizon and the ability to shop at our fingertips with websites like Amazon, it can often be easy to forget about small businesses.  

Make It a Tradition.

For as long as I can remember, Black Friday has been a huge deal for my mom. After the festivities of Thanksgiving came to a close, she would be out the door long before the sun rose. My Mom and my Aunt Toni would grab coffee and blast Christmas music while pretty much camping out in the parking lot of Target. Then, after securing her haul from a long day, my mom would show us what she had bought,while also hiding the Christmas Day presents. The next day, she would make an effort to bring us into our small town to shop for small-business Saturday! 

For me personally, it has never been hard to shop within my hometown. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a plentiful main street which provides the perfect shopping center for last minute gifts. Whenever I was unsure of what to gift a friend, I would head right to my local bookstore, which housed plenty of novels, candles, cute stationary, bracelets, themed pens, and more! When I needed to grab a thoughtful gift for my mom or an aunt, I would head right next door to the Glass Onion, which was our local, homemade jewelry shop! From these two places, I have bought gifts that have made friends’ and family members’ faces light up. Chances are, you have similar small stores in your hometown just waiting to be explored. The trick is to set aside some time on November 29th to do a quick peruse of your local book store, chocolate shop, film house, coffee shop, or whatever else has caught your fancy! Who knows what you will find? 

Check out Small Businesses in Ithaca.

While most plan on being home for the holidays, we are so fortunate with the many small businesses flanking the streets of Ithaca Commons, so why not holiday shop there! There is a vast variety of stores in the Commons, so you can find anything from toys to unique jewelry to artwork to outdoors gear. If you are looking for gifts for a younger cousin (or a Jellycat stuffed animal for your obsessed friend), I recommend checking out Alphabet Soup as they house a wonderful variety of toys, stuffed animals, books, LEGOs, playsets, stress toys, and more! Additionally, if you are looking for Ithaca specific gifts for family members, Sunny Days of Ithaca has a large collection of “Ithaca is Gorges” memorabilia and the Ithaca Outdoor Store has some nice sweatshirts along with adorable golden retrievers to greet you. Petrune has elegant clothing and jewelry, Autumn Leaves has books and records, and if all else fails, I don’t think anyone could turn down a ticket to Cinemapolis! It’s also important to remember that we are so lucky to have an expansive, highly impressive farmer’s market just a bus ride from campus that holds plenty of small businesses. 

Other Options.

While small businesses and thrift shops can offer incredible, highly giftable finds, it is not always guaranteed that you will find something that you feel compelled to buy for someone. And that’s okay. Oftentimes, with surplus discount codes and easy shipping, online shopping is the most convenient route around the holidays. Let’s be honest: shopping on Amazon can be more efficient and worry-free than an in store experience around the holidays. If online shopping is a must for you, there are still ways to support smaller businesses or even buy secondhand for more sustainable gift-giving! My favorite app to recommend is Depop, which is an app where anyone can sell old clothes for cheaper prices on exclusive items. If you know someone with a distinctive style, chances are you will find a new piece for their wardrobe on this app!