This month, I had every intention of dedicating my blog to Small Business Saturday and the Thanksgiving Holiday. This is a day I look forward to each year, not as much for the turkey, but the opportunity to binge at all the local businesses. A chance to join crowds of people that share my passion about the local movement. I was going to share with all of you my local passport, lists of all the places I went, people I met, and how excited I was to discover new places right in my own backyard.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I did not go out on Saturday, and I never filled out my local passport. My mind was preoccupied with other more personal, unfortunate family matters this holiday. At first I was disappointed that I was unable to partake in this year’s Small Business “holiday cheer”, but the more I reflected, the more I realized that I can #ShopSmall any day out of the year. As a matter of fact, I can do it as many days out of the year I want!
Living in Detroit, I quickly noticed the frequency of local establishments scattered throughout the city. I remember the first time my mom came up to visit me and I took her out to dinner. She specifically noted that “I want to go somewhere local, don’t take me to a chain. Take me somewhere that you can only find in Detroit.” And with almost no hesitation and very little pondering, I formulated a list of several local restaurants and bars within just a few blocks of my apartment. As I thought about it further, I realized how hard it actually was to find a chain establishment – and that’s just restaurants. The ratio of local to corporate chain is very uneven in the city of Detroit, and the more abundant side of this ratio is received and supported extremely well.
Living in midtown I am also surrounded by shops, boutiques, museums, and even markets that are locally owned and operated. The owners of these small businesses are so passionate about their community. Small Business Saturday not only shines the spotlight on the economical benefits of supporting local businesses, but about the investment of the local business owners in their community. (to read more about the relationship between local business owners, their community, and the benefit of supporting locally, take a quick look at the White Paper I recently wrote for my host company entitled Why Local is Better).
I took some time this holiday to focus on looking at this bigger picture within the community. Small businesses make a community better, stronger, and simply…happier. This year, starting right now, I choose to make every day a Small Business Day, and make my contribution to help better my own community. Will you join me?