Mom Talk
Shop Small, Celebrate Big
4 meaningful ways to support local small businesses this holiday season ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA MUSHI-BRUNT
O ne of my favorite childhood memories is the excitement of finding the Christmas shopping catalogs in our mailbox each year. My siblings and I would leaf through them, circling the toys we dreamed about finding under the tree Christmas morning. I also remember watching news stories about the chaos of Black Friday shoppers clamoring to buy the latest Cabbage Patch Kid dolls. As an adult, I have grown
Shop — and keep shopping
CHRISTINA
AND HER DAUGHTER
The most obvious way to support small businesses is to give them your business. I recently took my youngest on a small business outing. She loved the unique local items we found. Whether it’s a local retail store or a small service provider, shop and utilize their services consistently. Becoming a regular customer is vital to small businesses. Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30 is a great holiday shopping alternative or complement to Black Friday and
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Gift experiences Supporting local businesses isn’t limited to buying products. Consider giving the gift of experiences. It could be a membership to a local indoor playground like The Play Pit, where your littles can play safely while you work. Or, maybe it’s a hands-on private class on beadwork at Alouette for your crafty teenager and her besties. Buy gift cards Not sure what your loved one truly wants? Opt for a gift card for items or services from a local small business. Buying a gift card adds to the business’s revenue, and when your loved one uses it, they may find additional items to purchase beyond the amount on the card. And if your loved one is a new customer, they are now aware of a local business they can continue to support. I recently discovered a local anime business where I can buy a gift certificate for my anime-loving son.
weary of the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. I now enjoy the simplicity of walking into
Cyber Monday. It’s a perfect opportunity to support those local businesses you already love and to explore new ones that could soon become your favorites.
a small local business and finding unique items I know my loved ones will appreciate. Shopping small and local during the holidays is a gift to
But, don’t stop after you’ve finished your holiday shopping. Visit them
throughout the year. At local toy store Kidoodles, manager Jennifer Brooks estimates 60 to 70 percent of in-store shopping happens during the holidays. However, you can return to shop for birthdays year-round. A cute concept Kidoodles offers is a “Birthday Wish Basket.” Your kiddo can go to the store, grab a round, white basket and fill it up with all the items they would like for their birthday. Then, you can tell family and friends to stop by the store, buy items from your child’s wish basket and leave with the gift wrapped and ready to give. For those last-minute shoppers, Kidoodles also offers a personal shopping service.
your loved ones and small business owners. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are just over 62,000 businesses with one to 20 employees in Oklahoma. Whether it’s the local pet groomer, cozy bookstore or dance studio, small business owners rely on their communities to thrive. But how can you support local small businesses? Here are four ways I will be supporting local small businesses during the holidays.
CHRISTINA PERUSES GIFTS AT ONE STOP ANIME.
22 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024
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