Winter has finally arrived and the upcoming Christmas season is on our minds. The hustle and bustle of holiday preparations takes a fair bit of time and it just makes sense to shop local. Some of you have begun crossing off the gifts on your list, many have yet to start. We encourage you to shop in your hometown of Stittsville.
Buying local is more than just a mantra or a new fad on social media. It’s the future, and a new standard in acquiring the goods and services we use in our everyday lives. While buying local is an “old world” concept, it’s certainly not old-fashioned. Buying local benefits everyone in our communities, and it’s time to seize this opportunity to combine the old ways of yesterday with the present to improve our community. When making conscious decisions to support local merchants, restaurants, artisans and service providers, we are embracing our local economy, our neighbours and ourselves to grow and thrive.
During the difficult past year, many of our local businesses continued to support our Stittsville community in various ways. Put yourself in their shoes for just a minute – closures, restrictions, difficulty in hiring – our businesses, restaurants and service providers have endured a lot, yet they were always ready to give back to their, our, community. When dollars are spent locally, they are in turn re-spent locally and ultimately pay for more salaries.
Now is it time to give back by shopping at our Stittsville businesses.
With our wide variety of businesses, restaurants, local artisans and service providers to choose from and before visiting the larger chains, think about the shops right here waiting for your business and offering their personal service. Allan Ryan, President of the Stittsville Business Association and Councillor Gower couldn’t agree more.
“All of our local businesses need our help – some are still struggling. As time evolves don’t forget our local community businesses and try to support them long-term. Businesses have been there for the community – to sponsor our sports teams and donate gift cards for various fundraisers. Not all of the businesses have what we are looking for, I understand that, but when they do, I can’t emphasize enough to support and shop local,” Ryan told Stittsville Central.
Councillor Gower emphasized, “it is incredibly important to support the local businesses in our community. The business owners always can be counted on to give back to our fundraisers and sponsoring our sports teams. Take the time and effort to shop in Stittsville. Visit your local grocers and delis when planning a Christmas party or get together. My message to the community is to Think Local First!“
So remember to shop in your own hometown, we can’t emphasize this enough. Whether a gift or a gift card, show your support by keeping it local.