Valuable partnership formed between local shoppers, small businesses

On pages 14-15 of this week’s edition of The Current, local area merchants have a message for our readers. The message may be the special pricing they will offer on Shop Small Saturday Nov. 24. The message may be one of encouragement, to remember them this holiday shopping season. The message could be to remind us of their loyalty and support of local schools, churches, charities. The message could be that they made valuable contributions into the city budgets where they operate, through payroll and property tax.

Many of these business owners know the days and nights will be long during the holiday season. But they will stand committed to serve their customers. They will, to the best of their abilities, provide merchandise and service second to none to help with a Christmas shopping list.

The Current supports local small businesses for many reasons. In addition to all they do for our community, as mentioned above, one reason we appreciate them so much is because our newspaper is a small business. We employ four full time and four part time staff members. Those people, as is the case in most small businesses, depend on us to make a living. The other reason for our gratitude to small business establishments in surrounding communities, is because small businesses support your local newspaper through advertisements.

They are loyal to help us with providing our readers with a newspaper each week. They are there when we publish the area football, baseball, softball and basketball preview sections. They step up when we publish letters to Santa from Fulton, South Fulton, Hickman County and Fulton County school children. They enable us to provide coverage to local festivals and community events.

We are grateful for that loyalty, especially in a day and time when many choose to bypass a local newspaper, to opt for the social media avenue for advertising.

Likewise, many shoppers may argue that online purchases from big name warehouses are more economically feasible, offer a larger selection, and seem more convenient than jumping in the car and driving a few minutes to one of the multiple stores in our retail districts.

Those businesses are the ones who don’t charge a re-stock fee. Those are the businesses who will special order something for no additional charge. They are the business owners who will exchange something that wasn’t just right. The staff members who work at those local businesses can tell you whether someone you know likes a particular item in their store. They know you.

They are invested in your community in so many ways. Sadly, we may take these local small businesses for granted, and not fully appreciate their contributions until it’s too late.

Shop Small Saturday Nov. 24 is the ideal time to give these local small businesses the opportunity to serve. Shop local, first, this holiday season, and throughout the year.