Shop Indie Local Theme Days

press release: This Holiday season, shop small and support our local businesses. 

Things are going to look quite different this holiday season, so Dane Buy Local has developed several ways to safely shop local. A local business MarketPlace can be found on the Dane Buy Local website for online ordering and delivery, as well as a page dedicated to holiday gift ideas. Dane Buy Local will also be premiering its new gift card, which recipients will be able to use at a variety of local businesses.

The Shop Indie Local campaign, Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, engages local business organizations across the U.S. and Canada encouraging residents to take job creation and economic concerns into their own hands by strengthening their own local economies. This grassroots campaign provides a platform to highlight work done in communities across North America and provide open-source tools and resources to communities, organizations and small businesses.

Of course, the main idea of shopping local is more important now than ever. With the pandemic most Dane Buy Local members are experiencing reduced revenues from lower sales. Limited shopping hours and people in the business have all contributed to this challenge. However, when you spend your dollars at locally owned retail businesses, more money returns to the local economy than if you spend those same dollars at a chain store.  According to Civic Economics, when you spend a dollar at an independent business, about 47 cents returns to the local economy. Spend it at a chain store and only 14 cents return; spend it at an online giant and only a few pennies are returned.  That 47 cents recirculate through a local economy, generating ripple effects that strengthen jobs, charitable contributions, and community prosperity.  

Shop Indie Local in Dane County rolls together Plaid Friday (November 27), Small Business Saturday (November 28), Artsy Sunday (November 29), Local Cyber Monday (November 30), and Giving Tuesday (December 1). We encourage you this and every year to shop local.

"Many of us are spending money each holiday season on food, greeting cards, gifts, and flowers for friends, family, and neighbors,” says Colin Murray. “Why not spend those dollars at a locally owned business? Whether shopping at a physical location or online, consider shopping local first. The dollars you spend can have a huge impact on the local businesses and our community.”