Small Business Saturday in Ellwood

Don’t forget to support the small businesses in Ellwood this Saturday. Below are flyers from the Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce about the county wide scavenger hunt and events in the plaza taking place on Saturday!

Here is our article from last year about the benefits of shopping locally:

Many of us call Ellwood City home- including dozens of small business owners who rely on the communities support to keep their doors open.

From farmers markets to hair salons and everything in between, you can find just about any item or service here while also supporting our local small businesses; and that’s why Small Business Saturday is a growing shopping holiday in America.

Small Business Saturday is hosted annually across America on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, this year it will be on November 26. The holiday was started 6 years ago to encourage people across the country to recognize the benefits of supporting small businesses in their community.

So what are the benefits of supporting small businesses? Lets explore:

Local economy improvement

As opposed to supporting large corporations, money spent at local businesses typically remains in the local community- thus overall encouraging the growth of the community as a whole. One specific study showed that for every $100 spent at a local business, $68 remained in the city while only $43 of each $100 spent at a chain retailer remained in the city. It’s also notable to mention that by supporting a small business you’re supporting a local family who relies on that business for an income.

Personalized service

One of the most rewarding parts of shopping locally is the relationships that can form from it. It’s no doubt that shopping locally means a more personalized experience. Likely, there will be no “call 1-800-number” to talk to a customer service representative, the workers will probably have a better idea about what they’re selling, you have a better chance of be offered better rates and advice from local folks, and most importantly, you may just walk away with a new friend.

Healthier choices

Buying local produce has been shown to trump mass produced items in the health spectrum. Locally produced vegetables and fruit often not only taste better, but generally they will contain less contaminants and chemicals to preserve beauty and freshness than their mass produced counterparts. Locally raised meat, eggs, and dairy will also be healthier – often contaminated with less or no steroids, hormones, and antibiotics; also, one can rest assured that the producing animals receive more humane treatment from local farms than corporate farms. Local honey should suggestively be consumed as opposed to non-local honey bought from supermarkets under the assumption that local honey has been linked to helping reduce allergic reactions in individuals who suffer from seasonal allergies reactant upon allergens in the local area.

This is just a condensed list of reasons to shop locally. If you’re interested in reading more about reasons why shopping locally is beneficial, there are hundreds of articles that can be found via Google regarding the topic.

Remember to show the community your support by shopping locally not only this Saturday, but any time you get the chance! To view a list of the local businesses in the area click here.