SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — With the holiday shopping season nearing full swing, Dane Buy Local on Monday kicked off its 13th Shop Indie Local campaign to encourage shoppers to support local businesses.
The campaign, which highlights the economic impacts of local businesses versus national chains, includes a number of events during the holiday season, including “Plaid Friday” on the day after Thanksgiving and Small Business Saturday the following day.
The focus is on more than just retailers — supporting local restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, florists and other businesses keeps more money in the community, said Colin Murray, the executive director of Dane Buy Local.
While only $13 of every $100 spent at a big box store stays in the local economy, he said, that figure jumps to $47 for local businesses.
“Small businesses working together show their strength when they band together, creating the experience in their store like no other,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to show how they are distinctively different from the big box stores.”
While things have improved since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi stressed they still need community support.
“Our local businesses are still feeling the impact of those two or three years (of the pandemic) and they’re still recovering,” he said, “and it was only through partnerships, like we had with Dane Buy Local, that a lot of those folks made it through, and so an investment in our local businesses, shopping at our local businesses, is an investment in our community.”
Shoppers can also take part in the campaign’s Passport Program contest through Dec. 18 by spending $10 or more at any of more than 170 businesses across the county.
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