I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was a restful time with family and friends. It was also a pause before the flurry of holiday shopping that started immediately after. Black Friday seemed to be a good one for retailers locally and nationally. Early reports indicate there were more shoppers this year over last year, however average spending may not have been as high. Bargain shopping continues to be the priority. Overall though, this past weekend was a successful kick-off to this year’s holiday shopping season. Why is this important? Because many retailers register as much as half their annual sales and most of their yearly profit between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

While you are out shopping in the spirit of giving, consider also the spirit of giving your business to a local merchant, especially to the many small, independently-owned shops and businesses that dot the county landscape. There are easily hundreds, maybe a thousand (yes, a thousand) such shops in our county. Do the math. Each of us can name at least 10 favorites, whether a specialty gift shop, home furnishings or appliance store, grocer, restaurant, lounge or pub, hotel or bed and breakfast, even our barber or hairdresser, gym or fitness center, hardware or paint or lumber or lawn and garden center, auto parts or repair shop, and more. All will gladly sell you quality merchandise or a gift certificate that will help their businesses in the slower months after the holidays. Most importantly, all will make sure that you are completely satisfied with your choice. As we all know, value and service are the key reasons to shop small and locally.

Local spending also helps keep the other pieces of the local economy strong. It has been reported that spending at an independently-owned business contributes up to three times as much injection into the local economy as the same amount spent at a national chain or big-box store. The reason is that more of the expenditures involved in a typical sale get recirculated locally. For example, daily receipts are typically deposited in local banks who in turn lend to local businesses and individuals. Also, local suppliers (called business-to-business sales) typically receive more of the merchant’s business compared with the corporate inventories found in most large chain stores. Finally, employees may not seem a factor at first, but the loyalty to an employer does translate into economic stability. Since labor is a large part of any business’s costs, stability is extremely important. And by definition, the many family-owned and operated businesses are only possible as independents. This is most evident in our first industries of farming and fishing, but also in the many familiar names and faces of small independent businesses I discussed in last month’s column.

This is not to discourage shopping at our many franchises, national chains, and big-box stores. On the contrary, we are very blessed with the increasing numbers of familiar national store names and brands now available here. Our strong demographics in employment and incomes attract and retain national businesses to the County. We have more choices than ever. No longer do residents have to leave the County to shop. This saves time, money, energy, and definitely helps the local economy. While there’s been great progress, there are still gaps to fill such as an upgraded or new movie theater, among other consumer needs. These will take more time to achieve.

The important point here is to recognize and support the coexistence of small and large merchants in the County. Both sectors must succeed to keep St. Mary’s the unique place it is. The emphasis on smaller, independently-owned businesses is necessary because they don’t have the national names or the market