Reprinted November 2020

Buy
Local
If that’s not enough, COVID-19 should inspire us to make a
new commitment to support our community. After all, it’s buy
local or say bye-bye to too many local businesses. Because of the
pandemic, it’s estimated that around 45% of small businesses

or …
Shopping small initiative in West Chester
that we love—including 25% of the local restaurants—may
not survive.

Bye-Bye You can also be mindful about your gift choices. Small
shops encourage giving the gift that always fits—gift

Local cards! This perfect stocking stuffer gives local businesses

immediate revenue.
Olivia Smith Gail Warner of
Bridge Street Chocolates
Support our local businesses What to do? To help sustain our small shops, area towns are
this season if you want to supporting Small Business Saturday on November 28th—a
day dedicated to shopping at small business and helping our
see them next year. communities thrive.
You can also be mindful about your gift choices. Small
shops encourage giving the gift that always fits—gift cards!
This perfect stocking stuffer gives local businesses immediate

T
IS’ THE SEASON FOR HOPE, FAMILY,
holiday cheer and, of course, some shopping. Every-
where you look, every channel you watch, there’s a
catchy holiday jingle wrapped in sparkling discounts for
holiday presents.
But, where does a shopper begin? Let’s start small—and
shop small.
Rather than worrying about social distancing in crowds
Shopping in Kennett Square
at big-box stores or waiting for that lost online package
to arrive, check off your Secret Santa Wish List at inde-
pendently owned shops on your local Main Street. Buying
local improves your Yuletide experience on so many levels.
This year spend time in calming, festive stores offering
unique products reflecting our community.
Not only will buying local help your seasonal shopping
mood, but it also boosts the local economy. Around $68 of
every $100 spent at small shops is reinvested back into the
local economy through wages, taxes, donations and more.
By spending at local shops you’re creating jobs for your
neighbors, helping the environment by decreasing online
shipping boxes, and reinvesting your tax dollars back into
where you live, work and play!
Wouldn’t your rather see your holiday dollars go toward
local schools, not a billionaire’s bottom line?
revenue—helping restaurants in winter when outdoor dining
is limited and providing a cash infusion for retail shops.
The pandemic also limits traditional holiday events that
draw people to downtown shopping. West Chester Business
Improvement District’s new Executive Director, John O’Brien,
acknowledges that the town’s holiday traditions are limited this
year. “That’s why we’re focusing on creating holiday ambi-
ance—decorated storefronts, pine rope and red bows, bedecked
old-fashioned lamp posts—that will make shoppers and diners
want to visit and walk our streets to get into the holiday spirit,”
says O’Brien.
To share the spirit, take a holiday stroll down Gay Street for
a one-stop-shopping experience with 65 festively decorated,
local stores offering something for every person on your list,
including yourself.
West Chester isn’t the only town doing holiday prepping.
Lit up in a festival of lights, Media’s main street, State Street,
beckons holiday strollers and shoppers. As America’s first Fair
Trade town, Media has always loved local and supported fam-
ily-owned shops, like third-generation Bevan’s Candy Shop.
And for a shopping break, rest your feet during a horse-drawn
carriage ride down State Street.
In the glow of a thousand luminarias on Bridge Street, Phoe-
nixville also wants to make buying local fun and festive. Owner
Lights on Media’s Main Street
of Bridge Street Chocolates, Gail Warner urges shoppers to
enjoy the vibe on their holiday stroll and to stop at small shops.
“We need your support more than ever. If you love a thriving
downtown community, then you need to continue to support
the businesses there,” says Warner.
Kennett Square also wishes for more community spirit to
keep businesses strong. Executive Director of Historic Kennett
Square, Bo Wright says, “Small businesses are the heart of the
Kennett community and are essential to our local economy.
They provide jobs, vibrancy and a sense of place. We need
thriving shops and restaurants in order to have a thriving Ken-
nett ecosystem.”
To help encourage shoppers, Kennett’s unique local shops
will be decked out in lights, ribbons and wreaths, along with
the traditional towering Christmas tree in the center of town.
With Black Friday and Small Business Saturday coming soon,
let’s all vow to keep the businesses in our towns strong by buying
local this year so we can say hello to them in 2021. 