Make This Your Year to be Loyal to Local

Make This Your Year To be LoYaLTo LocaL

BY DENISE HEIDEL

Local businesses make up the heartbeat of any community and it’s up to us to support them! It’s estimated that for every dollar spent at a locally owned store, 68 cents remains within the local economy. When you compare that with the average 43 cents that remains when shopping at a big box store, it doesn’t take an economist to realize that shopping small matters.

Make 2019 your year to be LOYAL to LOCAL! Show your support for local businesses through deliberate choices to shop at locally owned boutiques and dine at locally owned restaurants.

Here are some ideas to inspire you: January: Sign up for an exercise class at a local fitness center.

February: Buy flowers from a familyowned florist.

March: Visit a local consignment store to find some fun pieces for your spring wardrobe.

April: Have your children’s

Easter portraits done by a local photographer.

May: Buy your garden tools from a local nursery. June: Take your car to be serviced at a local mechanic.

July: Shop at the local farmers market.

August: Take a break from the heat and stroll through a local museum.

September: Enjoy a day of pampering at a local spa. October: Eat at a locally owned restaurant you’ve never visited. November: Order your Thanksgiving desserts from a local bakery. December: Shop for the holidays from locally owned businesses.

Supporting local businesses is about neighbors helping neighbors. In a sense, it’s a pay-it-forward kind of action. When someone shops or dines at a locally-owned business, that business owner can hire people, who can then turn around and spend money locally for their families, and support local organizations.

Forsyth Country Day School