SALT LAKE CITY — After the Thanksgiving food coma has worn off is when the holiday shopping madness typically begins.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, along with area entrepreneurs, are hoping people spend money locally.
"Shop Local Saturday has been a thing for several years now and it’s really taken off," said Mendenhall.
Local business owners throughout the city want to keep that momentum going because it helps keep them in operation and the research and numbers prove it.
It is estimated that more than 50% of every dollar spent locally stays in the local community, as opposed to less than 15% when people shop online from a large retail outfit.
Ironically, as devastating as the pandemic has been on so many levels, some business owners say there has been a silver lining in terms of people looking to spend their hard earned dollars closer to home.
"People want to stay local, they want to take care of each other, it’s been a tough two years!" said Anne Holman with King's English Bookstore. "And we pivoted pretty early, like a lot of business is dead, made it possible to pick up without touching, order online, call us, will talk to you over the phone and remind people that we are your neighbors, where your friends and we’re all in this together … and more than ever people have really supported that message.“
Whether shopping for a book, a unique gift, going out for gelato or a sandwich, local business owners say they are here to serve, which in turn helps our community.
The shop small crawl officially begins Saturday, but owners say any time is the right time to support a local entrepreneur.
As an added incentive, by shopping small, residents can win big by signing up at a participating businesses for a chance to win a $500 gift card.
