This year marks a decade since the launch of Small Business Saturday, a cheerful, civilized alternative to Black Friday. In honor of the 10-year anniversary, here are 10 reasons to shop small this holiday season. And if you’re already an expert, skip ahead to reason 10 to find out what shopping small means to us at Roam Free.
- Small and local businesses are a lifeline in their communities, when they thrive so do their neighbors. Buying local keeps 4 times the money in the area’s economy compared to shopping at chains.
- Small businesses are more likely to hire locally than retail chains. More importantly, local business owners hire people who reflect the demographics of their community, including historically underserved populations.
- Locally owned businesses reflect the personality and unique resources of a community. If you want local flare, a small business often features the best of what a community has to offer.
- Small businesses reflect your values. Whatever it is you care about, from regenerative agriculture to regional craftsmanship, a small business somewhere cares about it too. If money speaks, spend the right message.
- By supporting small businesses you shift and diversify wealth. Want to support black or indigenous entrepreneurs? Woman-owned businesses? Veteran-owned businesses? By using our dollars to support the ventures of a more diverse group of business owners, we participate in an important shift in economic power.
- For customer service! Because, really, you just want... “Hold please,” “Our menu options have changed,” “To speak to a customer service rep please...” to talk to a real person, am I right?
- Small businesses give back. By participating in volunteer work, making charitable donations, and taking on community projects, local business owners reinvest in their communities in a way that box businesses don’t.
- Small businesses enhance diversity of products and services. One of the major benefits to shopping small is that products tend to be locally made, with local expertise, or selected to suit local tastes. While big box and department stores offer a set selection of wares with little variance from region to region, local businesses offer goods and services curated to local desires.
- Local businesses boost environmental sustainability. Buying from small businesses that source local products can reduce the environmental impact imposed by national chains in their transportation of goods.
- For the small business owner. For Roam Free it means we can afford to raise animals holistically and humanely. It means we can reinvest in the land and initiate regenerative projects. It means we can afford to invest in our daughter’s local school and our town’s youth programs. It means we get to live the life we dreamed. And that means everything.