Tips for Shopping Small This Holiday Season.

My favorite time of the year is here! The holidays!

Traditionally, the holiday season has been the time for gift-giving and spending time with loved ones. Although COVID-19 has thrown a monkey wrench in everyone’s holiday traditions, it has provided an opportunity to highlight the importance of supporting local small businesses.

Enjoying my morning tea in my Transit Tees sweatpants, and my cozy Chi Town Clothing sweatshirt.

Like the heart within the human body, local small businesses keep neighborhoods alive and thriving. Not only do they provide jobs and support their local economies, they also contribute to the shared cultural identity of their communities. This holiday season, it is imperative more than ever to support the businesses within our own backyards. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you are looking to engage with local small businesses to fulfill your holiday shopping:

• Prioritize LGBTQIA, Womxn, and POC-Owned Businesses

  If one thing has rang true this year, it’s that COVID-19 has exacerbated the systemic inequalities within America. This is evident in the small business sector, where studies show that minorities have been hit the hardest by the economic impacts of the virus. With this in mind, challenge yourself to buy your holiday gifts from local small businesses that are ran by owners from marginalized communities. Not buying gifts this year? You can still support these businesses by giving them shout-outs on social media, or by sharing their websites and social media accounts with loved ones who you believe may enjoy what they have to offer. Small business directories (like this one by Bossy Chicago) are a great way to find these businesses!

• Be Patient

  Small businesses do it all on their own. From product development, to marketing and shipping, small businesses rely on limited resources to ensure that their operations run smoothly. Usually, this is all accomplished with a limited staff. With this in mind, be patient in receiving orders that you purchase from small businesses. Unfortunately, majority of small businesses cannot guarantee the same level of delivery options that large corporations can. When thinking about purchasing gifts from these businesses, order your product(s) well in advance, and be patient if delivery complications occur. If possible, take advantage of curbside pick-up options instead of delivery.

• Tip, Tip, Tip

  Tip as much as you can, as often as you can!

In conclusion, this holiday season will definitely be different than the ones before. However, we must stay focused on the positive, and do what we can to support the individuals that dedicate themselves to making our communities better. Supporting our local small businesses is a must. Not only during the holidays, but all year-round.

I love being a Chicagoan!

Do you have a local small business that you love and want to give it a shout-out? Comment below and share the name of the business so that others can check it out!    

I’ll see you on the stoop.

Calandra M.