We can't be sad about losing local shops when we don't support them. They need us every day. Not just when they have great sales for us to save money, but every day. Recently I was talking to someone about how happy they were that the Red Pig is reopening. I said to them " We have to go more than we did. We have to show them that we appreciate them being back so that we don't lose them again."  So in my family, we're going to start a Wednesday night supper club. We plan to invite people along that we don't get to chat with on a regular basis.  Really any night they are open is a good night to support our local restaurants. Sunday Brunch at Henry's is another great treat! The point is to go out and let's show them some local love.

What does it mean to shop locally? It means you invest in your community of store owners by shopping there for what you need. Does it cost more? Sometimes is my general answer, but it's worth it. By shopping locally I was able to find the right size clothes for a preemie baby who was in the NICU in Tennessee. My daughter's friend had an emergency delivery, and her baby was less than 4 pounds. She had no clothes for her. So I popped into the local store, and they had enough to get this sweet little girl started with some clothes. Those pj's I bought her will grow with her. She won't need to hurry to find bigger clothes right away. She loved them so much and now knows she can go online and shop from them. Did it cost me a little more? In the end not really. The longevity of the clothing, not having to drive all over to find just the right size, and saving on gas balanced out the cost. So in reality I did not spend more money. The savings on my time, travel, wear and tear on my car, and the cost of gas more than offset the cost for me and I was able to support a local shop. Stop by The Olive Tree Boutique if you need clothing for newborn babies or toddlers.

There are so many wonderful treasures right here in Putnam County to wander through. I can typically find most anything I'm looking for right here in our grocery stores, clothing stores, coffee shops, gifts shops, etc. The list goes on and on about how being local does in fact save you money. You are investing your money right back into the community which then benefits you as well. Community parks, roads, lower taxes, etc. There are many ways that your dollars spent are returned locally.  You are also keeping your neighbors, friends, and family running a business. We tend not to think about that when we pull our debit cards out and shop online.

It's about creating that habit to start shopping with the intention of being local. Small Business Saturday is November 26th. We celebrate Small Business Month here at the chamber with our passport program.  I'd love to see every small business celebrated throughout the year. All it takes is creating the habit of shopping local, supporting local, and being local. We hope that this November you begin a new habit of shopping local and taking advantage of what is here in our area. You just might find you can get exactly what you wanted and more.