Christmas is known for being the season of giving. It’s great to be able to find cute gifts for our friends and family, but sometimes finding the perfect gift can be hard. My solution to this problem? Keep it local. Not only will you be supporting a business in your community but shopping local is also a great way to find unique or one-of-a-kind pieces.
Local businesses do tend to be smaller but also tend to be extremely nice and helpful. I know when I’m shopping I want a positive experience where the staff actually want to be there. The items at local stores are often also more unique and original. A lot of the time businesses will be totally open to creating custom-made pieces so you can be sure you’re getting exactly what you want!
You might be asking yourself how you can go about shopping locally but luckily that is an easy question to answer! There are many ways you can shop local- Google is a great place to start. You can even use Esty to search for local, family-owned businesses that are close to you. Another great way to shop is by attending markets! With Christmas around the corner, there will be a ton of Christmas markets and the vast majority of the time the vendors at these events are local or small businesses. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask people! Some smaller businesses are still only by word of mouth. By talking to friends, you could get recommended some pretty cool shops!
If you still need a little convincing to shop local, consider this: these businesses need us in order to survive. A lot of the time they offer great products, yet people still choose to go with bigger companies. Most of the time it’s because they don’t even know what is out there or they see these big companies as easier to buy from. However, shopping local can often get you a better product and honestly, a better deal too. Plus, your money goes to a better cause.
By shopping local, you’re not only getting that perfect gift for your family member but you are also helping that business. When you buy from them, you’re helping real people instead of a faceless corporation. So when doing your Christmas shopping this year, or any shopping, think twice about who you want to support.