On the way to my local community bank this morning, I passed by a growing number of large, corporate retailers that have replaced some beloved indie friends like Embelezar.

Local and lovely is what keeps this neighborhood alive. You have a choice where to shop this season and every day. Consider keeping your money well spent in neighborhood stores like myself, Roslyn, Stitch and p45 before we get overshadowed by a corporate riff of what we do best.

For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. In a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home. Unless, of course, you are shopping locally on our website. Be sure to check the “local in store pick up” option and we’ll have you wrapped and ready to go.

When you shop those other behemoths from A to Z online you are taking money out of local resources and putting it into the coffers of corporate tax loopholes. And did you know that A owns Z along with D & E and so many others?

Locals Love You More and I’m fighting to Keep the Cheer Here! A huge and happy thanks to The 3/50 Project for all of the awesome resources.

Cheers to you for a gracious holiday season!