A Note from our CEO, Scott Soderberg

 

I’m sure many of you reading this have merrily (or otherwise) begun your annual holiday shopping adventure.  By the time you read this, Black Friday will have come but not gone, as of course it’s no longer one day and is not limited to showing up with a mob of shoppers at a bricks and mortar store.  You now can conveniently become cyber-frustrated as well, especially when what shows up on your doorstep isn’t remotely what you thought you ordered.

While there’s no going back in terms of new ways to overspend, here’s a thought…what if you spent some of your shopping schedule visiting some local merchants?  Consider the advantages (which might be “new” to some) of searching for gifts within your community:  1) You get to see items (in 3D) and use all your other senses when choosing a gift; 2) you can interact with someone not named Siri or Alexa who actually knows what you’re talking about when trying to find that elusive item; 3) you might get some practical advice about a gift from an experienced fellow human being; 4) your chances of finding truly unique items skyrocket; and 5) your business goes a long way toward improving the financial health and well-being of your community.  As you’ve heard in this column more than a few times, money that stays in the local economy multiplies many times as it passes through and is re-spent by the merchant, its employees, their families, other businesses that supply materials and services to the retailer, and on and on from there.

Not that you can’t, of course, purchase your gifts online from a local business…you just might be a little more confident in your choice after visiting the store and knowing you have local accountability standing behind your selections.

You can support countless local businesses this season and all year round, just by including them in your shopping options.  For a great overview of how important small businesses are to local communities, especially during the holidays, you can visit the following page for some interesting facts: Season of Small Business | U.S. Small Business Administration.   For help in finding businesses that will expand your shopping horizons, you can also follow #ShopSmall.

Your patronage is incredibly powerful, truly rewarding, and without question the lifeblood of our local economies in Western Wisconsin.  BTW, the “Thank you!” you’ll hear is quite real too…😊