l a c o L p o h S
This Holiday Season
Now more than ever, your local community needs you. It's no secret that COVID-19 related closures and restrictions have impacted our country's many small businesses in numerous challenging ways. The global pandemic has thrown one too many hurdles in the path of nearly every small business owner, constantly testing their ability to profitably adjust their business model and keep their passion alive month after month. With the holiday season coming into full swing, it's more important than ever to keep our small businesses top of mind when tackling our shopping lists. Sure, every television channel or social media you flip through right now is filled with catchy holiday advertisements from the chain stores, promising the biggest and best sales of the season. With the immense rise of online shopping (conglomerate Amazon) has helped us loose sight of those right here in our back doors.
One of our favorite local shops is the wonderful Me&Co! Just look at the HAND-PAINTED ORNAMENTS!!! $28.00, These adorable hand-painted ornaments and more custom gift and art work can be found at Me and Co Gift Shop 7240 Kingston Pike #116, Knoxville, TN 37919
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hushh magazine | www.hushh.club
While there's no arguing that online shopping can be convenient, what "warm and fuzzy" feeling do you get from that type of transaction? Does easiness trump the emotional benefits you'd feel from contributing to someone's livelihood during a terribly trying time by shopping local? The ability we all have to support our hometown's brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends — all the people who make our
community a wonderful place to live — will always be worth the collective time and effort in our book. And here's why. Shopping local helps grow your community's economy. According to the American Independent Business Alliance (AIBA), when you shop local, approximately 48% of the cost of your purchase is recirculated back into the local economy. When you shop at a chain store, that number drops to less than 14%. Instead of taking your hard-earned dollars to a billion-dollar chain store, think about how beneficial it would be to invest them in your local economy and help support a small business owner’s family. We can all agree that every dollar helps, especially around Christmas time during an ongoing pandemic. Shopping local gives your community’s creatives much-needed exposure. Our small community is full of incredibly talented artists who can’t afford shop space until their business takes off, leading them to partner with local businesses to sell their products at a storefront. So when you shop local, you give those craftspeople the exposure and funding they need to grow their business. Picture giving your mom the gift of a handmade wreath, piece of jewelry, or painting she’s always talked about this Christmas. She’ll feel extra
