Local small business shopping more important now than ever

South Lake Tahoe has a wide variety of small businesses from jewelry to experiences on the lake. With the impact of the pandemic on their business this is a perfect season to think of them while doing your shopping.

Small Business Saturday is November 28, the annual day after Black Friday to highlight shopping at the places who are a part of the community. They are the businesses we go to when seeking donations for silent auctions or to provide food for fundraisers. They are invested in the well-being of the South Shore community and to keep them here we need to support them now.

It has been hard on everyone due to the pandemic. Businesses have had to adapt to stringent rules, all depending on their offered goods or services and not knowing how they they can keep the doors open. Those doors have already shut permanently on two local small businesses and local support while shopping for Christmas gifts would do much more than bringing a smile to the recipient.

As you walk through the door of a small business you don't only support the owner, but the staff who work there and the local businesses they use for banking, accounting, computer and technical support, cleaning, marketing, and the list goes on.

According to the government reports, almost 70 cents of every dollar a local business takes it stays local. Locally owned businesses give three times as much as corporate chains. Of every dollar spent at a national corporation, less than 40 cents stays local. Independent restaurants return more than two times as much money per dollar of sales than national restaurant chains.

Preserve our community's character by shopping local. Locally owned shops over a unique look to the community since they are part of the community. Their hand-picked selections are tailored for the local market and our particular needs and interests.

And its not just goods one can shop for, its services too. Gift certificates to yoga, massage, hair and nail studios. A boat ride on Lake Tahoe. Time with a trainer. Dinner at a restaurant or food from the local butcher. A basket of freshly baked goods. The list is a long one of what can be found on the South Shore and the local hunt for that perfect gift can be a fun and rewarding one.

The Tahoe Chamber is offering bonuses for shopping local too (visit here for details).

Enjoy your season of shopping locally.