With Thanksgiving Thursday and Christmas shopping beginning in earnest the following day, the city of Lincoln has been pushing residents to shop local and shop small. The mayor’s office, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and the Better Business Bureau have recently chimed in on the importance and the benefits of shopping locally.
On Tuesday, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird held a press conference with local business leaders and said, “Making Lincoln a vibrant and more fun place to live and an attractive destination for visitors is just part of what small businesses do,” said Mayor Gaylor Baird. “Small businesses provide excellent customer service, create meaningful jobs and relationships, help circulate dollars within our local economy, and give back to our community in many ways.”
Mayor Gaylor Baird’s administration has invested money into Lincoln’s local businesses in some ways. First, the city will have spent over nine million dollars of federal funds to keep businesses hurt by the pandemic afloat by the end of the year. The city also pledged to purchase an additional one percent from local establishments.
“In both last year and this year to date,” said Mayor Gaylor Baird, “the city of Lincoln has exceeded that goal. We’ve tripled it. We’ve increased our spending with local businesses in the city by over three percent.”
The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce has also voiced support for supporting the city’s stores. Earlier this week, the organization released a holiday gift guide for stores within the capital that are owned by minorities, women, and veterans. The gifts in the list are sorted by category, from male or female gifts to presents for foodies and beer connoisseurs.
Josh Planos of the Lincoln Better Business Bureau spoke with KLIN News and said that shopping locally provides a number of benefits for consumers. “A really good way to avoid online fraud entirely is to shop in person at local vendors,” said Planos, who added, “They typically offer the best deals, honestly, throughout the holiday season.”
So, when is the best time to shop locally? The day after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday, and that’s a good a time to start as any.