New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) develops a “Shop MainStreet” campaign on an annual basis that provides tools for our communities to create unique and engaging events in time for the holiday shopping season. Many of our network communities offer Shop Local Events, Holiday Open Houses, Holiday Parades, and special markets and gatherings intended to bring people into the districts. The annual campaign provides a special Shop MainStreet holiday poster, Tool Kit for marketing and promoting seasonal events, and a listing of Holiday Events. The campaign assists local communities with developing Shop Local Strategies to bring more people downtown for the holidays.
The Shop Local Campaign helps connect the many holiday events and activities with commerce for local businesses in the districts – connecting community members and visits to memorable events as well as opportunities to enjoy special holiday sales and offers. MainStreet holiday events help spur the local economy and bring community members together.
Many of our MainStreet organizations also take part in Small Business Saturday (SBS) which is held the Saturday following Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The campaign builds awareness of small businesses and their impact in our communities. SBS was created by American Express and has been encouraging people to shop in small businesses during the holiday season – and throughout the year – since 2010. By visiting several specialized local shops, you can purchase unique gifts from your local businesses and impact your local economy.
Top Ten Reasons to Shop Local
- Buy Local – Support Yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally-owned business, rather than a nationally-owned business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers, and farms – continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.
- Support Community Groups: Nonprofit organizations receive on average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
- Keep Our Community Unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun – all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.
- Reduce Environmental Impacts: Locally-owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation, and generally set-up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution.
- Create More Jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally, and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.
- Get Better Service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.
- Invest In Your Community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in the community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
- Put Your Taxes to Good Use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally-owned stores entering the community.
- Buy What You Want, Not What Someone Wants You to Buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
- Encourage Local Prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.