The Cook County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring Shop Local Saturday on Nov. 29. This is the day after “black Friday” during which big-box retailers in urban areas pull out all the stops to move their balance sheets for the year out of the red and into the black.
Local Cook County retailers could use a bit of black on their balance sheets, too, and they would very much appreciate your business. Any day would do, but there will be a special push to encourage local shopping on Nov. 29, the beginning of the 2014 holiday shopping season. Here are four reasons why you should strongly consider shopping locally on that Saturday:
* Last week, the annual Empty Bowls event raised many thousands of dollars to help alleviate hunger in Cook County. Everyone who attended played a praiseworthy role, but county businesses played an especially large one, donating many gallons of soup and many hundreds of dollars in silent auction merchandise. Several business owners personally donated hours of labor to the event as well.
What you did not see were donations of goods and labor from Target or Penney’s or Yonkers or Best Buy. This is not their community, and they do not contribute. But week in and week out, Cook County restaurants and grocery stores and retail shops give and give to make this a better community. By shopping with these merchants you both express your thanks and help provide the revenue they need to continue their big-hearted support of the Cook County community.
* The Chamber has a new parttime staff member, Suzanne Sherman, who will spend some time each week working on Chamber-community relations. Suzanne has spent the last 10 days distributing nifty Shop Local posters to merchants all around Cook County, on foot, uphill both ways, in the wind and snow. Support Suzanne: Shop Local. Make it a habit, and be especially sure to exercise that habit on Saturday, Nov. 29.
* Bust the myth that everything always is cheaper and better if you buy it online or in Duluth and the Twin Cities. If you take the time to investigate, you frequently will find that pair of winter boots you want will cost you the same or less at a store in Cook County as at Zappos online or at a store in Miller Hill Mall. Plus, you get to try them on to ensure a good fit, and returns are a darn sight easier, too.
* It’s always more fun to shop a village than a city. We can guarantee that if you make Saturday, Nov. 29, a day to shop locally for your holiday needs, you will run into friends hither and thither. Some of you, and you know who you are, also will find it impossible to shop without stumbling over cousins, aunts and uncles, beloved or otherwise. While this can make gift concealing a bit tricky, it also makes gift selection a heck of a lot more enjoyable.
So make a day of it: Do some shopping; tuck in a bit of visiting and laughing with friends you encounter here and there; have a meal at a local restaurant; celebrate the start of the holiday season in this special place on the North Shore. Contribute what you can to keep the Cook County economy robust enough to employ our friends and neighbors and support causes like Empty Bowls. Oh, and make Suzanne happy, too.
Jim Boyd
Executive Director
Cook County Chamber of Commerce
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