A Heartfelt Plea to Consumers: Shop Small this Holiday Season

I’m not sure about all of you, but I feel like 2023 has flown by (and, honestly, I’m completely fine with that). I can’t believe that Halloween has been over for more than a week, and that the magic of the Holiday season is right around the corner. While I’m not a fan of Thanksgiving (another story for another time) and prefer to skip from Halloween straight to Christmas, there is one element of Thanksgiving week that is near and dear to my heart: Small Business Saturday.

As I know I have stated before, I have a massive passion for small business owners, and I work hard to promote and support them every chance I get (in fact, it’s my whole pageant platform as Mrs. Ireland Continental Worldwide). I also understand how difficult the economy is for all of us right now. Home prices/rents are astronomically expensive, cost of living in general is higher than ever, and it is harder than ever to make ends meet. Coupled with the fact that the constant hustle lifestyle to try to make ends meet is both exhausting and time-consuming, and we have a recipe for a perfect storm that leads many of us to feel like we have no choice other than checking off items on our shopping lists quickly (i.e., at big box stores and online).

I get it…we’ve all done it.

But, as someone who works for a small business and supports and promotes many (many) more, here is my plea to you this holiday season: please, whenever you can, try to shop small. Try to throw your support behind the businesses in your area that keep the local economy going—and support the individuals behind those businesses, whose sacrifices are most certainly greater than we might realize. When you check off every (nice) person on your own personal Santa list by shopping for them at a small business, you can rest assured that your own-hard earned cash is NOT going to line some bureaucrat’s pocket—it’s going to things like piano lessons or ballet or tutoring for their kids, much-needed home improvements…even Christmas gifts for their own loved ones.

Keep in mind, too, that there are other ways to support a small business if you are unable to purchase from them. It costs absolutely nothing—and, timewise, fits in even the busiest schedules—to like, share, or comment on a small business’s social media posts. You never know—maybe you don’t see anything at their store that you need, but someone who views the post you shared just might! Also, try to spare a few moments to leave a positive review of a small business you enjoy online (Google reviews, Yelp, etc.). You can’t imagine how much a good review means to some small business owners—I’ve even heard one small business owner friend suggest it in place of a tip! Also, remember—shopping at a small business can actually be more of a time saver, even more so than shopping online at good ‘ole Prime. Even with something like Amazon, the fastest that your needed item can be delivered is nearly 12 hours later (and that is if the same-day shipping option is available, which it often is not). If you find something you love and/or need at a small business, you walk out with the item in real time, and thereby save yourself not just money, but precious time.

One of the biggest differences between shopping at a small business and shopping at a big box store has to be the experience that customers can expect. Rather than impersonally clicking “add to cart” when you shop online, or being just another number to an overworked employee at a major chain retailer, when you shop small…you become family. At Empire Home Center, we strive to make sure that every customer who walks through our door gets a truly customized experience—we are excited to get to know you in order to truly make your home design dreams come true. When you decide to purchase anything from us, whether it be something as small as a throw pillow or a beautiful candle from our showroom in West Reading, or something as large as flooring for your entire house from our flagship store in Leesport, you can rest assured that we are there to walk you through every step of the process. And when you shop with us instead of at Amazon, you know that your money isn’t going to some corporation. It’s going to be thoughtfully invested back into the community, and it’s going to bless the children in our own families as the holiday season approaches.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I implore you to do at least part of your holiday shopping at a small business (or small businesses) this year. I promise you won’t regret it, and you just might be part of making a Christmas miracle come true for the real families behind the “We’re Open!” signs.