
Support your local small businesses this holiday season
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
December 2022
Everything Old
Support your local small businesses this holiday season
by Corbin Crable
Ideal gift for that special someone
If you’re still looking for the ideal gift for that special someone on your holiday shopping list, don’t log onto a website or head to some crowded department store. Quite often, the gift you’re looking for – and many gifts you didn’t even know you needed – are right around the corner at small merchants in town.
Gently loved items
Not only are antique stores places where gently loved items are waiting to find a new life; they’re places that specialize in unique finds that make just the right statement about the gift recipient. That’s what the holidays are all about – showing people you care and that they play a meaningful role in your life, whether they’re your Aunt Gloria in Winfield or your best friend from college, now living across the state line. In these days of disposable moments on social media, we hope you’ll hit up your local antique store for that item steeped in incredible craftsmanship and high quality – that antique that has withstood decades of Christmases and has been built to withstand many, many more.
Handmade crafts and Locally sourced goods
Or, just as thoughtful is a gift from any number of small, independently owned merchants, shops, galleries, bakeries or restaurants. In this and every issue of Discover Vintage America, you’ll find page after page of events and sales just bursting with handmade crafts and locally sourced goods lovingly made by artisans who use their talents to bring gifts to glorious life. The care put into making these items really do speak to the passion and dedication that artists and crafters pour into their creations. They’re meant to be shared, to be loved, to be used, and to be enjoyed for a long time to come. I wish I were only half as creative as the people who create such dazzling works – art, jewelry, sculpture, crafts, and clothing, to name only a few. Thankfully, their works, with their creative energy, are able to say to my friend or family member what I cannot.
Power of Community
These items and the people who make and sell them are also constant reminders of the power of community. They’re members of a network of people you see and socialize with every day. They’re the ones who greet you with a warm smile and ask how your grandchildren’s soccer season has been going. They’re the ones who hug you in thanks for your support and friendship. They’re the ones who cry with you when times are tough, and they’re the ones who rejoice with you when there’s good news to share.
As a holiday shopper, you can feel good about shopping locally. You’re not just supporting your neighbors and friends; you’re keeping your dollars in your community. They’re dollars that help families in your community thrive and grow. Here, amid the season of giving, that’s something that benefits us all.
So, as you venture out into winter’s chill, shopping list in hand, don’t pass those local merchants by, because as much as you need that perfect gift, they need you, too, to help them build a more vibrant place to live.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.
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