The holidays are fast approaching, and every business is already prepping. Especially the smaller ones, and we see those all over town: the mom-and-pop shop down the street, the hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves the best slice of pie, the expanding hardware store up the block or the kid’s clothes shop that you grew up with. These are the small businesses that helped build your community. They’re its anchor, and they’re dying off in droves. These giant entrepreneurial efforts are the results of someone’s immense passion, and while they may not have the name or, at times, the prices of the big chains, they make up for it with a steady infusion of drive and love for their craft that create a product and an atmosphere that only their personal touch can provide. And without our support, they’ll disappear, and with them the jobs of two-thirds of the population.
If you’re like me, then you’re passionate about supporting your local business community during the holidays, but you find it hard sometimes to be practical about it. Thankfully, I found a host of answers, and I’m about to share them with you:
•Support your local food truck
Let’s face it: for us busy or married folks, this time of year especially we just need a break. And what better way to rest than skipping meal prep and going out to eat? Sure, the chain eatery might be closer to home, or maybe it’ll have that fancier atmosphere, but it can’t come close to the amount of thought and purpose put into your food that comes from a business struggling to make ends meet. When someone cares deeply about their craft, they’ll pour themselves into it, and that makes for the best food you can ever eat. And more often than not, you’ll get that from food trucks. They’re cornerstones of entrepreneurial flavor, and their prices are as great as their delectables. This means that you can make eating out a regular pastime, and your local taco truck will greatly appreciate you in return.
•Support your local farmer
Have you ever compared the taste of produce grown in your backyard with the ones grown way off in another part of the world? I have, and I can’t accurately describe how different a local tomato tastes against its foreign counterpart. Farmers make a business out of this, and they’re trying desperately to stake and maintain their claim in the grocer’s market. A driving force behind the difference in quality in food grown overseas and beyond state borders are the preservatives used to keep foods looking fresh while they travel. Local farmers don’t have to do this, and the absence of these added chemicals makes for some tasty festive dinners. If you shop at the farmer’s market, you’re guaranteed to eat fresh every time.
•Support your local boutique
Ever hear of Goodwill? They aren’t a small business, but they have their priorities right. In some locations, they’re launching an eclectic boutique they’re calling Good & Will, and it’s filled with curated, gently used items. The driving force behind Goodwill is their support of the communities they do business in, and with their new boutique and in their day-to-day operations, they supply their areas with jobs directed towards those who otherwise would have trouble getting one. This is an admirable concept, and their level of hard work is equaled by other small boutique owners. Whether it’s on the fancier side, or if it’s made up entirely of second-hand kids clothes, the people behind the storefront are part of the glue holding your community together, and without their efforts we’d be lost. And oftentimes, some of the best clothes you can wear are found there, and they’re always affordable.
•Tell everyone about small business
Marketing divisions don’t really exist in small business. Most of the time, they’re completely reliant on word of mouth, and the brunt of that task is on their shoulders. If you want to serve your local businesses, then reviewing them, rating them, liking and sharing them, and talking to your friends about them is one of the easiest (and cheapest!) things you can do. This is especially simple with the inclusion of social media, and now you can take an active role in building your favorite local aunt’s customer base. When we realize the great and positive impact they have on our lives, the least we can do is be the messengers for their good fortune.
We should be shopping at local small businesses. Because when we’re supporting them, we’re supporting the people who created them, and still further, we’re fostering a community of entrepreneurism and mutual benefit, and most of all, the passion that makes your city a great place to live. And isn’t that all a part of holiday spirit?
Some of my fav local spots for you to try…
Dance Instruction: American Dance Co in Spring Branch
Diner: Able’s Diner in Schertz
Dress Shop: Gautier in San Antonio
Florist: The Orange Poppy in Marion 830.914.4438
Children’s Boutique: The Posh Plum in New Braunfels
Book Store: The Red Balloon in Alamo Heights
