Small Business Saturday

There will be spinning here at my house this morning, but before I move on to that, I want to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about Small Business Saturday and why it matters.

To say that I am passionate about supporting our local yarn shops, indie dyers and yarn producers, and local farms is a bit of an understatement. I cannot remember the last time I bought yarn at one of the big box stores. It happens so rarely. I also cannot remember the last time I went out shopping on Black Friday, at least not to any of those retail giants with the hordes of rabid consumers looking for cheap prices on cheap quality goods. I have just never cared to participate in that kind of crazy mass consumerism that has come to define the holiday season. Especially not after leaving the retail world several years ago, where I had to work on the other side of that craziness.

Today is Small Business Saturday, an effort which began several years ago as a chance to put the focus on the small, independently owned shops and merchants in your community. Just about every retailer sees an increase in business this time of year, but the big box retail giants with their huge marketing campaigns and barrage of advertising in print and on TV seem to get all the attention. The small, locally owned businesses in your community need your attention too.

So instead of funneling money into some corporate giant’s coffers, helping its CEO to buy a bigger yacht, a third vacation home, or use all of its profits to prop up organizations with a littany of discriminatory and/or anti-government beliefs (I’m looking at you, Hobby Lobby), take the opportunity today to shop at your locally owned businesses, where the money you spend stays right here in your community. While you are there at that independently owned shop, take some time to talk to the shop owner and get to know them. You’ll be glad you did, and you might find yourself frequenting these businesses a lot more than just this one day or weekend out of the year.