Show your hometown pride this holiday season and support your community and the businesses where you live by shopping “local.” When you “Shop Questa,” and all of the surrounding areas, you’ll be strengthening these communities and their culture, while promoting economic growth and investing your dollars where they will continue to spread throughout the area.
A 2018 Small Business Economic Impact Study reported that approximately 67 cents of every dollar spent in local small businesses stays in the community. Small independent retailers have also been shown to return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales into the local economy than similar chain competitors.
When you shop locally, chances are good that you’ll be personally greeted by your neighbors who own those shops and restaurants. And, to make you feel even better, many merchants sell local products — specialty items that are often made by hand by area residents — unique and one-of-a-kind gifts.
The annual Alumbra Holiday Market, now sponsored by the Questa Creative Council, is an event where items are displayed for sale from these local talents, on Saturday, December 9, at the Questa VFW Hall. You’ll find other original works from area artists and authors on the QCC website: questacreative.org.
When your money is spent locally, it directly contributes to the livelihood of these local entrepreneurs, and your in-store purchases support the families who own local businesses. It’s convenient — everything is nearby, and you’re helping to preserve the community’s cultural identity, strengthening local jobs. In addition, it’s kinder to the environment. By not ordering online, you eliminate the extraneous cardboard and packaging materials required to ship your personal order across the country, and you greatly reduce the high carbon footprint of the many forms of transportation required to deliver your package.
Keeping it local also keeps the gross receipt taxes in the area, which are directly re-invested into the community to provide essential services such as police and fire protection, and street repairs.
Don’t forget about local gift certificates: they make great stocking stuffers! They are easy, one-size-fits all, and are always in season. Get gift certificates from area retailers, restaurants, services, yoga and fitness studios, even from gas stations.
This season, do all of your holiday shopping right here where you live, and show your hometown pride.
